Operation RETURN
by Negs of Baker Street
Summary: Really Embarrassing Trials Used for Remembering Numbuh one. With a new menace attacking the KND, Supreme Leader is in need of the 'best operative on the planet's help. But can Nigel Uno recall his past in time? Set when Sector V operatives are 16/17
1. Teenage Headaches

_~Authors note…SOOOOOO, Yeah, sorry about the sudden change in context, but I promise I'll get to the other story soon…er or later… Anyway! Summer's started and I've actually had time to sit down and watch my favorite shows in the middle of the day, like KND, which I do not own by the way… so, I decided I wanted to see more of the Sector V operatives, except when they actually get decommissioned and grow up. _

_I haven't seen all of the episodes, or the last last last episode of the entire KND series, so if you have that sorta info of what happened, please Share. So, Read and Review. Nigel centric, with appearances from Wally (Numbuh 4), Abigail (Numbuh 5), Rachel (Numbuh 362), Fanny (Numbuh 86) Hoagie (Numbuh 2) and Kuki (Numbuh 3) Eventually. ^. ^ ~_

OPERATION- R.E.T.U.R.N

Really

Embarrassing

Trials

Used for

Remembering

Numbuh One

Flashes. That's all he ever really saw. That's all he could remember. And it really ticked him off. Nigel groaned inwardly as his teacher fired into a whole new realm of the American constitution. Hell, he knew the laws of practically everything known to man and even Rainbow monkey… he shook his head furiously. There was another flash from his memory. Rainbow monkey? Seriously? Where the bloody hell did that come from?

"Mr. Uno?"

Reluctantly, he lifted his aching head to look at the high school teacher with his gray-blue eyes. There were some days where the flashes were nearly unbearable, practically derailing his entire train of thought. With so many laws being drilled into him, the flashbacks were becoming unbearable. "Yes, Ms. Snow?" Came his British laced response. 'What can my befuddled and eternally fried brain do for you?' He silently added.

"Are you capable of staying conscious or should I let you sleep in Detention?" She asked coolly, daring him to make a snide remark like any other teenage boy would. But she didn't know Nigel at all if she expected him to succumb to her desires. In fact, he knew she wanted to see a black mark on his perfect record. It wasn't like Nigel Uno was a goody-two shoe, but he certainly knew the rules, and he always played by the rules. More often than not, playing by the rule generally saved his ass from many serious cases…but he couldn't remember those cases! He only knew they existed at one point or other.

"No one's capable of stayin' awake in this class, lady!" The Australian accent shouted from the back of the room, and all eyes were turned toward the short blond teen, leaving Nigel out of the spotlight. Stoically relieved, he sank into his seat, rubbing his aching hairless head. As much as he loved being left alone, he despised the arrogant shorty that sat four desks behind him. Wallabee Beatles, otherwise known as Wally. The schools bad boy...and the number one loud mouth.

Number one…God, what did it mean to him? Nigel felt another round of pain hit his head as a large '1' flashed before his eyes, painted in red on the front of a wooden door…Where had he seen it before? He knew he should know the setting by heart, but a huge piece of the puzzle was missing! What he really needed was a way to that vital piece.

While the American History teacher was reaming Wally, Nigel slammed his eyes shut to block out the suddenly bright fluorescents. Oh, how he rued this days when his memory wouldn't let him alone. One could only take so much, and Nigel had learned he was able to withstand quite a lot, but it became agonizing at times, even for him.

'_Knock, knock, knock.' _

Twenty-seven pairs of eyes looked up at the sound of a fist on fake wood. Eventually, after he heard the door open and a new pair of light, swift steps practically danced through the room, did the Twenty-eighth pair of eyes look.

And there before him was a goddess. Her beautiful dark colored skin almost shimmering with what Nigel originally thought was Body Glitter. But she seemed so much more than simple glitter, like her skin was actually glowing and her brown eyes alight with such power, that Nigel couldn't make himself breathe. Everything around him disappeared, and he just stared at the earth bound angel gliding through the room while her wings were covered by the tight-fitting blue tank top. Strong muscled legs where covered by more tight-fitted clothing, with her thong sandals showing off her absolutely perfected feet. And, god, her hair was this flowing black silk that glided magnificently over her bared shoulders.

Nigel suddenly felt very uncomfortable and he shifted position, trying to cool off and calm himself down. Whoever this new divinity was, she certainly had a way of making an entrance. The bald sixteen-year-old was extremely impressed.

But, he was not the only to notice such a beauty entering their mist, for once he had regained self control, the first thing he heard was Wally's cat call from the peanut gallery. Nigel clenched his fists, angered by how this mystic woman was already treated like any other piece of plastic this run down school offered. Over half of the girls had undergone changes one way or another. Yet the new girl, she was real. Somewhere, Nigel could feel it. One hundred percent real.

After a furious look was thrown Wally's way, Ms. Snow turned and greeted the new teen with a kind smile, sweetly asking what she could do for her. Smooth as stone, her holiness retrieved a slip from on of her pockets and gave it to the teacher.

"Ah, well. Welcome to American History, Miss Lincoln."

Lincoln! Immediately, a new round of pain shot through his head as the name rang yet another rusty bell. Rules, Number one, Lincoln…they all lead to something! Another flash hit his head, this time of a young girl, a braided pony tail sticking out of a rugged and beaten red hat on top of her head. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face while he struggled to regain control. The pain was working it's way toward insanity, and Nigel could only take it for so long.

"-Mr. Uno."

"Huh?" Nigel shot up, surprised to hear his name for the second time that class period. But when he received a questioning glance from her beauty, he instantly recoiled, unable to bear the sight of such intensity. Of course, he had completely ignored the look of utter annoyance from Ms. Snow.

Miss Lincoln made her way to the empty seat beside Nigel, and now he really wished for the bell to ring soon. Unfortunately, as he looked at the clock on the wall, he still had a good twenty minutes of this heavenly torture…He was beginning to doubt his strength as Miss Lincoln turned her dark brown gaze towards him. Shaking ever so slightly, Nigel managed to keep his head low, scribbling random notes into his notebook, while still keeping his goddess in the corner of his eye. Each time she looked at him, he'd create a new bullet point, a simple way of recording for the sleuth master.

Another part of his unsolved past. How had he gotten so good at so many things? Sneaking around was a cakewalk for him, assembling and dissembling a gun was like fourth grade homework, repairing a bike or a car took him an hour at most. All of these talents…but no knowledge of how he obtained them. The only thing he knew was that these talents were definitely connected to the flashes and the puzzle. Which all leads back to having to solve the damn puzzle. And he would do it even if he had to take it piece by piece by tiny piece.

Making his eighth dot, the bell mercifully rang for lunch break, and Nigel Uno was on his feet and out the door in a matter of seconds, successfully avoiding the crowds yet again. He had always made sure to stay at least three or four steps ahead of everyone.

_Yes_, he told himself_, I've _always_ made sure to stay ahead of the game, since before I could remember. _Growling, he stalked down the steps and into the sunny courtyard. The only thing these flashes and thoughts gave him was a constant walking around in a circle. Everyday, it's the same thoughts as he beat the crowd and stayed ahead of everyone, even his teachers. At some point in his life, it had become almost customary to plan out every detail and take in every mishap that could happen. Hell, it was just the ordinary life style to Nigel Uno.

Then comes the question of had it always been like that? Planning every move carefully and skillfully, and then following that exact plan because he had anticipated all else? _Bloody hell!_ He screamed in his head. _I'm looking too far into this!_

While Nigel swerved through the crowd of high school teens, two figures stood on the third floor of the school, watching his every move with carefully guarded eyes. The taller one held a pair of dark sunglasses in her hands, her long blond hair hanging in her face as she stared at the bald teen. Did he ever wonder why he was bald? How he was so skilled in avoiding being seen or touched? She sighed, walking along the windows to keep him in eyesight.

Behind her, a red haired girl followed, also keeping a close eye on the junior. She turned her green eyes to the blond haired girl. "How much longer, 362?"

"Rachel." She corrected, still watching. "You should know better than to use those names in public. Any one of these teens could be working for _them_." When the red head only huffed, Rachel continued. "We have to wait for his memory to fully recover. Then we can take him back."

"We have about two weeks left, and you expect us to wait till baldy remembers everything? Why can't we just tell him and then spend two weeks training him again?" Spat the Irish girl, waving her arms as she followed her leader who still followed Nigel. "We're just wasting time waiting on that son of a-"

"Quiet, Fanny. Don't talk about him like that! You know very well how much we need his skills again. And besides, if we let him remember, he won't need any refreshing." She stopped as her pocket buzzed, and she growled, forcing the pair of sunglasses into her friends hand and pointing for Fanny to keep following Nigel. "I have to get back to Base and check the enemy reports. Keep an eye on him…" Walking a few steps, she stopped and turned back to Fanny, holding up a finger of caution. "And don't pull anything!"

Once alone, Fanny cursed under her breath, moving her eyes back to the teenager. Even as teens, Numbuh 86 and Numbuh 362 remained full time KND operatives, even though Numbuh 362 claimed retirement. True, Rachel had spent some time just being a normal kid, but once Numbuh 5 hit teen hood, she walked right into decommission, forcing Numbuh 362 to return and keep order. Abigail Lincoln and the rest of sector V were all decommissioned on their thirteenth birthday…except for Nigel Uno, who had spent time in the Galactic KND. Upon his fourteenth birthday (he had achieved the right to an extra year for his amazing leadership talents) he willingly came back for decommission, forever a man of honor and loyalty. But even after the memory was supposedly erased, there have been cases where the knowledge of the KND was far too great, and the mind refused to forget. However, these cases were one in about eleventy-billion and Fanny and Rachel were two of such cases. They hopped, and most of Numbuh 362, knew that Numbuh One was one of those mysterious cases.

It was up to Numbuh 362 and Numbuh 86 to bring him back to where he really belonged. He belonged in a place where he could kick the ass of any adult that treated kids wrongly.

Numbuh 86 looked at the sunglasses in her hand, thinking to her self. _Don't pull anything,_ that were her orders…but her first order was to keep an eye on Nigel. Damn, there were no loopholes in that one. Then again, why did Rachel hand over the sunglasses when she was the one to constantly hold onto them like some sort of lifeline? Fanny smiled as an idea suddenly came to her, and she stole one more glance at the bald sixteen year old before darting off toward the school's front office.

Shuffling around his locker, Nigel searched for his lunch while tossing his no longer needed books onto the floor of the generally neat locker. His next class was a science elective, taken by students interested in the galactic marvels. He had taken it as an easy class, and rarely showed up for it. Yet he managed to keep a steady 'A' in the class, all of his knowledge of the galaxy and the solar system practically common sense to him. Since his head continued to push him to the breaking point, he decided it best to once again ditch the class and hunt down some headache relief. So, in went his Space science book.

"Hey, Nickel!" Wally's annoying voice sounded from behind him, and Nigel bit into his lip. Great, just what he needed. A pain in the ass and a smashing headache.

"It's Nigel, Wallabee." He finally retrieved the simple sandwich and slammed his locker shut to find Wally leaning on the locker beside him. His bright blue eyes looked Nigel up and down, and Nigel fought the urge to punch the shrimp in the face. But he knew the blond wasn't worth his energy. "What would you like this time? Notes to world history? The trig homework that you never do?"

"Oi! What make's ya think I want somethin'? Can't I just come and say hi for once?"

Nigel rolled his eyes, picking up his backpack. "You've never done it before." As much as Nigel might hate the short Australian, something kept him close. More often than not, he passed it off as one of those '_Keep your friends close and your enemies_ _closer_' bids, but he wasn't exactly sure. Wallabee was something from somewhere, like a dark part of his mind. But in any case, Nigel was sure Wallabee had never been his favorite.

Wally began walking beside Nigel, talking about the latest hookup in school and the recent fights. The gray-blue eyed teen tuned him out, thinking once again about the new girl, and why she had sparked that picture in his mind. Could she be the very same girl? Possibly. Nigel wasn't always open to new theories, but what choice did he have now?

"Then that Lincoln girl, she's a beauty, don't ya thing, Nickel?" Wally asked, snapping Nigel out of his own thoughts at the mention of her name. He felt a blush creeping up his neck, and without hair to hide it, he had to look at the ground. Unfortunately, with Wally shorter than him, the bad boy saw the sudden redness of his classmate and hooted. "Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like someone might have a little lust for her." He elbowed Nigel's side, making the British teen glower at the Australian teen before he quickly veered into the crowd just outside of the hall way. Still, he called after him. "Don't worry, mate! I think I might be able to give ya a fightin' chance!"

_Hmph, like I need your help, kangaroo boy._ Thought Nigel as he slinked through the crowd, practically unnoticed. His subconscious mind led him to his usual eating spot, a small, secluded area on the far side of the school, where most of the lone sharks went. Not that Nigel was really a loner. He had friends and all, but he preferred to spend Migraine Days alone to think.

And right now, he really needed to think.

"Oh great, where the hell is that kid?" Hoagie Gilligan growled, sitting on the edge of the lunch table. Tall and average sized, Hoagie was one of the kids many high school kids didn't care about. His green eyes scanned the crowds behind his thick glasses. He looked sideways at his younger brother, the freshmen known as Tommy, who was a spitting image of his older brother. But most people just called him Tom nowadays.

Tom shrugged, taking a bite out of his chicken select. "How am I supposed to know? It wasn't my turn to watch him."

Hoagie sighed as he looked at the watch on his wrist. Lunch was going to be over in about five minutes, and if Nigel wasn't there yet, it meant he wasn't showing up that day. It must have been another painful headache day. Disappointed, since he needed the Space science homework and because he was bored, Hoagie sat across from Tom. "Why do ya think he gets all of those headaches?"

"Beats me. Maybe he just works too hard…he needs a girl friend…like you!" A fork was pointed at Hoagie.

"I don't have time for a girlfriend." He snapped with a shake of his head. Waving his arms, he added, "I have about seven planes that are still in the making. Do you honestly think I can just put those on hold and give in to a chicks every desire?"

Another shrug. "I stand corrected. You need a life."

The bell rang to state the ending of lunch, and Hoagie sighed as he picked his bag off the ground. Hopefully, Nigel would be there at the beginning of class to give him the answers. Even though Hoagie was well beyond the average I.Q, he spent most of his time making flying machines in his basement instead of doing his homework. And whenever he wasn't building and creating, he was wondering how the hell he learned to make a bed into an aircraft. He generally concluded it was just a natural born talent.

Lucky for him, as soon as he walked in, the first thing he saw was the baldhead of his close friend. But by the look on his face, and the still packed bag, Hoagie knew he was planning on getting out of the class room right after attendance. That at least gave him about ten minutes to copy the homework, nine more than he needed.

"Hey, Nigel. How's it-"

Nigel already had the sheet out and ready to be taken by the homework-less. It meant '_don't talk to me, just take it and let me think_.' Yes, it was definitely one of those headache days. As Hoagie sat in his seat beside Nigel, he thought about how odd it was that he was almost able to read the teens thoughts, even though he really only met him freshmen year. But somewhere deep inside of him, he knew that freshmen year wasn't the first time he had met the British bald kid. Pushing the thoughts aside, Hoagie immediately began scribbling the answers onto his own sheet, finishing in his estimated time.

As soon as the attendance was done and the homework collected, Nigel was gone and out of the room without a trace. Seriously, it was like, Hoagie saw him there one second, and as soon as he looked away, he turned back to find the seat empty and all of Nigels belongings gone.

Hey, that was just how Nigel Uno worked.

Walking alone in the hallway, Nigel made his way towards the doors with a small yellow paper in his left hand. He knew the school system and what color paper meant. Yellow-leaving early, Pink- suspension, Blue-principals office. But he wasn't really leaving, he still had another two hours of school after his fifth hour, so he simply moved towards his secluded safe haven.

"Hey there, uh, Mr. Uno."

He froze as he heard the voice of the goddess address him from behind, and he spun around to find her, glowing with the sun behind her. Again, he forgot how to breathe, and he just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Yes, how attractive.

However, it was rather attractive with his powerful and prominent jawbone, and Ms. Lincoln gave him a small smile as she moseyed towards him. '_Damn it_.' He thought, looking left and right. '_Please no more erections. Oh please, please, please_.' Deciding to simply wave a friendly hello, he turned away to hurry off and keep his sanity.

"Wait, hold up! Abby just wants to know your real name…

"Uhm…" He stopped id stride, still not looking her way. "Nigel."

There was a sudden silence, and both stood frozen to the spot as they thought about each other's names. Abby? As in Abigail? Nigel knew the name instantly. Yes, it was Abigail Lincoln. He was sure of it…but how was he sure of it.

His head exploded with pain again, and the picture of the young girl in the red hat reappeared, and he was forced to the ground, holding his head. The shaking had started again, and he forced air in and out of his lungs, trying to regain his control. In the distance, he heard his name called as Abby came bounding to his side, placing a gentle and warm hand on his back.

"Nigel? Nigel! Are you okay?" She sounded half panicked.

"Yes…yes…" He slowly got to his feet once more, shaking off the hand and looking gratefully her way. "I'm fine now. Sorry you had to see that." Another blush threatened to attack his face, but he kept it down by focusing on the picture.

"Nah, it's cool. What was that about anyway?"

"Head pains… They happen when…" _Something reminds me of my forgotten past?_ "They happen every now and then."

Abby smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Abby thinks you should get that checked out or somethin'." Nigel looked her in the eyes, and smiled himself. Those gems were so bright that they seemed to chase the pain away, making him practically melt in her hands. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded, forcing his eyes away from such a beauty to dust off his black button down shirt. "Yes. I'm… I'm perfectly fine again…" _Quick, get away before my crotch catches fire._ "Uh. I'll see you around, Abigail." Trying to walk away for the third time, she once again stopped him by grabbing his arm to wing him back around.

"Please, call me Abby."

Laughing slightly, he nodded and pulled his hand back, feeling the blood begin to race towards his second head. "Right. See you around…Abby."

Watching him dart away, she laughed quietly to herself. "Damn, he's cute."

Nigel pulled the metal door shut behind him after running halfway across the entire school. Now, he was grateful to be alone in the solitude of his own domain. Really, it was just the athletics closet that no one ever used anymore, but Nigel had remolded it enough to create a rather comfortable hideaway. Still breathing heavily, he flipped the lights on, illuminating the space that belonged to him and no one else.

A black leather couch rested on one side of the concrete box, while a wall of television screens rested on the opposite side, each one tapped into the schools security camera system (Courtesy of Hoagie and Tommy). Beside the door was the generator that powered the hanging light and the mini-fridge packed with soda. But what was Nigels real pride and joy was the wall directly in front of him. Loaded with pictures drawn by him of people and places he had seen in his visions, he constantly looked at it, always adding a new picture to finish the puzzle.

The picture of the red 1 and the young girl were already added to the wall, among pictures of flying cars, guns made out of mustard and ketchup bottles, planets he hasn't heard of, creature children he didn't know existed, other young (human) children that happened to show up in his flashes.

As he swept his gaze across the room, he found something that hadn't been here at lunch, resting on top of the mini-fridge. A pair of black sunglasses, too small for him. Eyebrows furrowed, he made his way towards them, finding it resting atop a piece of paper. Nigel slowly lifted up the glasses, taking the note into his hands and opening it.

KND

"What the-"

"Hey there, Numbuh one."

~Authors note: Okaaaay. So, guess what I wound up seeing half way through this fanfic…yes, the final KND episode. Guilty of crying a smidge…. Anyway. Half way through this I tried to put in how Numbuh One might have spent time in the GKND, but came back either way to find his old team decommission, so he underwent the process as well. Along the way, he re-met Hoagie and yadda-yadda-yadda. So, you could call this some Alternate Universe Fanfiction, or you can count as the next Chapter in Sector V… Chapter two coming soon! ~


	2. Trains, Planes, and Garbage Trucks

_~Heeeeeere's Chapter two, folks! Actually, I had started writing it before I even posted chapter One, so that's how I was able to get it up the day after I put up the first one. But who cares about time, right? It's just getting started and stuff! So, Numbuh three will actually be making an appearance in this one, along with everyone's favorite tree house! Hooray!_

_Not as much Nigel as I wanted, but he's still the main character here. It'll come to the point where he's pretty much in every scene. Read, review, enjoy…Or if you hate it, tell me to. But be nice about it, ya don't wanna sound like a b-i-t-c-h.~_

"It's depressing, Numbuh 362." He said, his back to the reinstated leader of the KND. His dark blue eyes stared down at the earth, towards the center of what he knew to be the United States. "We're relying on a _teenager_," the word said with a sneer on his lips. "To take down a force we can very well handle together."

Rachel was leaning back in her chair, going through several files placed in her lap. "If you've so soon forgotten, I myself am a teenager, Number 21, and if we're to get technical…so are you." But she didn't wait for him to retort, firing into Nigel's defense. "Number one was the best operative we had. Father hit us hard the first few months after he left. But somehow, we regained some of our strength, enough to keep him at bay. Now we have this new menace… and we just can't take it out without him."

Numbuh 21 growled and turned toward his leader, a mop of jet-black hair decorating his head and covering his right eye. "We can take them out without him. Instead, we're just wasting time!"

"Three weeks. They've promised three weeks of silence. One week has passed, and Nigel's almost Number one again. Why should we risk so many lives when we can send one person out there?" She placed the files back on top of her desk, Nigel's file sliding out from the stack. Numbuh 21's green eyes stared at the folder, plump with mission reviews and enemy documents. There was no doubt that Numbuh One was a legend in the KND, and even rumored to have become a legend beyond the KND, but the idea that the KND were too weak to take out an enemy without the help of teenagers was just plain sad.

He sighed, reaching for the folder, only to have his hand stopped by Numbuh 362's. She shook her head firmly, as in 'Don't bother', and she pulled it back to her, filing it away in a special desk. A moment passed in utter silence, until Numbuh 21 turned away again, looking back at the earth. "I think this should be the last time we allow a teenager to help us…which means we have to decommission everyone over the age of thirteen." He turned sadly to Supreme leader, who actually began nodding in agreement. "KND is meant for kids…As soon as we stop them, Numbuh one, 86, yourself and myself have to leave the job of protecting kids rights to the kids."

"I know. It's not easy leaving what you love to do behind. Numbuh one's going to need to be hit twice…"

"As will you, Sir." Numbuh 21 said softly. Rachel sighed, hanging her head.

"Yeah…I know."

Swinging his leg around, Nigel was able to knock the new comer of her feet, and pull a hand made weapon from his back pocket. He held it to her face, threatening to send a splintered piece of wood directly into said face. "Who are you and why are you here?"

Fanny smiled up at the former KND operative, holding up her hands in a cease-fire. "You mean to say you don't recognize me, Nigel?" She sneered, only to flinch as he forced the wooden weapon closer to her face. Recovering, she laughed nervously. "Still the same old serious Numbuh one."

His head began to ache again as that one painted number flashed in his mind. But he forced it off, glaring down into the light green eyes on the floor before him. "I repeat. Who. Are. You?"

"Get that 2 by 4 out of my face and maybe I'll tell you!" Her heavy Irish accent penetrated his thoughts, and set off a whole new round of images, this time of a young girl with bright red hair and a face covered by freckles. As he looked the intruder over, he immediately concluded this to be the same girl.

Tightening his grip on the 'gun' he grabbed hold of her collar, pulling her face closer to his. "Tell me who you are and I might consider taking it out of your face."

"Numbuh 86 of the Kids Next Door." She growled, bringing her leg up sharply to connect with Nigels gut. As he buckled over, she took charge and pulled out her own weapon of choice, made out of what looked like a mustard dispenser. Nigel glared and moved to bring his gun back at her, but she stepped on his arm, forcing it down. "Now listen good, Numbuh one. We Kids Next Door operatives don't like spendin' time beatin' each other up. We have bigger problems to worry about, and you're going to help us deal with them, got that?"

But he couldn't answer, his head imploding with torturous throbbing as soon as she said Numbuh 86,the torture only increasing when she said Kids Next Door. God, the pain was greater than ever before, forcing a strained scream from the floored teen. The Irish teen stood, her gun still poised as she watched Nigel writhe in pain beneath her. She was shaking slightly, not quiet sure what to do.

"Num-Numbuh one?" When he screamed at the name, she dropped the gun and began to back away. "Oh, crap." Her eyes searched the enclosed area for something that might help the poor boy. "Nigel…?"

Breathing deeply, he slowly got to his hands and knees, the throbbing slowly easing away. His murky blue eyes looked at Numbuh 86. "You gotta answer some questions…" He swallowed hard, his mouth completely dry. "Give me something to drink…Please."

Fanny glanced over at the mini-fridge beside the downed Britain, and quickly retrieved the only drink she could find. But what it was only made her smile as she pulled a bottle of Boylan Root Beer. Even as a teenager, it appeared Numbuh one still had a kid deep down that had nothing to do with the KND. She handed it to him, kind enough to open it first, and he chugged about half of it before gaining the strength to get to his feet. Once stable again, he moved to the wall of pictures and looked back at Fanny, an eyebrow raised.

"Can you explain this?" He took the picture of the Mustard gun and held up her weapon, eyes wide and confused, but still hopeful.

Surprised that he didn't actually attack her again, and seemed perfectly fine to have her in his own little lair, Fanny stepped forward. She looked curiously at the former operative.

"I'll kick your ass after you help me with this. I figured you could tell me what this meant, since you seem to know me from a time I can't remember." He said matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest and motioning her to continue forward.

"Uhm…well…" She cleared her throat and looked nervously at Nigel, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not exactly allowed to tell ya…" When she saw the angered look cross the teenagers face, she spun around and began collecting certain drawings. "But!" with a handful of photos, she turned back to Nigel. "I can show you."

"You ca-ah!" His wrist secured by Fanny's strong grip, she pulled the sixteen year old away from the wall and out of the supply closet. Turning the corner and sprinting down the road that led out of the school grounds, the teenager struggled to keep up with the other teen. "Fanny, can you please tell me where we- what is that?" Nigel skidded to a halt as a massive garbage truck loomed before him, rocket engines attached to either side, the garbage collector opened to reveal a group of well-armed elementary kids.

Nigel suddenly forgot how to talk as he stood there with his mouth agape, trying to form some words. But all that actually came out were numerous noises of surprise and confusion.

"Move your fat tail bone, Numbuh one." Fanny scowled, only to have the group of elementary kids look at each other in awe and begin whispering. "Do you want me to explain all of this," She pointed to the ketchup gun in one kids hand, and pulled out the pair of shimmering sunglasses with the other, "to ya? Or would you rather endure those head pains?"

Immediately, Nigel moved forward without another word or a second thought. At last, he was getting somewhere with his forgotten past, moving toward the goal of uncovering everything he wanted to. Beyond the thresh hold, the garbage collector slammed shut behind him, causing him to cringe at the eerie noise of old metal. Laughter sounded from the young children around him, and he growled before straightening himself, smoothing his ruffled black shirt.

"Numbuh 2435, get us to sector V." Fanny ordered, taking a seat near the back of the ship. A small brown haired girl nodded and jumped into her own seat located directly in the middle, spinning towards her teammates. "You might want to have a seat, Numbuh One."

"Alright Numbuh 12987, make a course for Sector V, and punch it! We gotta get back to school before lunch is finished."

Crossing his arms once more, Nigel smirked to himself. "I thought you kids were a little young to be skipping scho-ho-ah!" The garbage truck lurched forward, the rockets kicking on and sending the entire hunk of metal into the air. Nigel was flung back against the solid metal doors, again, causing more laughter to come from the younger children. Even Fanny was laughing, and Nigel groaned, glaring her way.

"Told you to have a seat…"

With Nigel suddenly gone from school, Hoagie stalked through the halls of school, muttering about the stupid British accent and the constant disappearances and how no one ever seemed to notice. Honestly, how does he do it? Hoagie scoffed as he made his way down the stairs toward his next our. He was beginning to think he was Number one in spy crap or something.

Hoagie suddenly stopped. Number one…Spy crap…why does this all ring a bell? Thinking for a moment, he simply shrugged and continued through the halls. Whatever.

"Excuse me."

He slowly turned around to find a beautiful dark skinned women standing before him, her hair falling neatly over her shoulder while she gently pet it, something bothering her. Gather his little courage, he managed to squeak in response "Yes?"

"I noticed you come out of the same class room as a friend of mine, but I couldn't find him. Do you know where a Nigel Uno might be?"

"Nigel?" Hoagie broke through his short daze and looked at the teenager before him. "You want to know where Nigel is?" When she nodded, he tried not to look into the marvelous brown eyes. "Well…when you find him, tell me, too. I'd love to know where he runs off to."

"Abby knows where he runs off to! But when he ran off to that place, he didn't come back!" She said, walking alongside Hoagie, earning a few curious looks as a nerd was accompanied by such a splendor. The seventeen-year-old boy looked nervously at Abigail.

"What do you mean he didn't come back? He's always back for sixth period…" In fact, he couldn't recall Nigel ever being absent for trigonometry. "I have him in my next class, and then the one after that. If he doesn't show up, I'll tell you, okay, uh…"

"Abby."

"Abby." Man, the name practically sent shivers down his spine. "You said you know where he goes?" She nodded, but didn't actually tell him. "Can you tell me?"

"Why should Abby tell you?"

"Because he's my friend." Hoagie crossed his arms, huffing angrily. Damn girls, always thinking they were so much smarter than boys.

"Listen, man. You tell me if you've seen him, and if you haven't I'll show you where I last saw him."

Hoagie paused, considering the deal. "What's the big deal about Nigel anyway?"

"I'm new here, but I know I've seen that boy some where else… It's killin' Abby!"

He frowned, and finally agreed. "Alright. Meet me…in the schools parking lot right after school, and if Nigel's around, I'll bring him with me. If he's not, you take me to his hideaway. Deal?" He held out a pale hand.

Abigail looked at it, and her eyebrow furrowed as if she was seeing the same thing again, like déjà vu. Slowly, she shook his hand, and nodded. "Deal."

When she turned to leave, Hoagie watched her go, his entire body feeling light and fluffy. It was anomalous, but it felt amazing, and he stood there, in a complete daze while he watched her hips swing so perfectly. Oh, what wonderful torture. Then he looked at his hand, and stifled a giggle as he realized she had touched him.

But he remembered his mission, and sighed as he turned to make his way towards his next class. Tommy says Nigel needs a girlfriend…well it seems he's about to get one. Anger swelled in the pit of Hoagies stomach as he resumed his stalking. Damn Nigel and his good looks. _No_! Hoagie thought as he entered the classroom. _It's not his looks…it's his bloody accent!_ Hoagie laughed as he made his own joke inside his own head…with no one to appreciate it. Damn.

"Wally!" She sang, with emphasis on the 'a' as she hung upside down on the tree limb. The short Australian sat below her, her long black hair nearly touching his nose as he smiled up at his girlfriend. "You think any one's gonna notice us missing?"

He snorted. "Ha, no one did last week, right?" Reaching up to gently pet the silky hair of his beloved Kuki, girlfriend for almost two years, Wallabee sighed happily, glad to relax a little. Seriously, all this school and bully stuff really put stress on the small boy. But Kuki Sanban knew exactly how to help relieve him of the strain, and just knew how to have mindless fun. So, they skipped out on school that afternoon, and now they were hanging from the tree in front of an old abandoned house.

The true beauty, however, loomed far over the puny tree in which Kuki hung from, and it drew the two like flies to a picnic table. It was an enormous tree house, quiet literally sprouting from the roof of the abandoned house. Wally and Kuki took time at least once a day to come by and just relax around the place, but haven't actually been inside, knowing the place was just about as deserted as the house. And the entire place was locked shut, and the decks on the tree house were too high off the ground to –safely- climb to. They did promise to climb into the tree house one day, though.

"So I tried talkin to that Nigel fella today…" Wally started, moving to sit against the tree trunk, while Kuki dropped to his side, laying her head in his lap.

"Really?" she chirped, Wally absentmindedly petting her hair. "Did you tell him 'bout the note we found for him?"

Wally shook his head, pulling the old and crumpled piece of notebook paper from the pocket of his orange jacket. "Nah. He's all into that Lincoln girl. I don't think he's gonna care about some other girl out to get him because they didn't work out. The thing looks like it's been around for ages anyway!"

"But I wanna know if he used to live here!" She whined, her Asian accent slipping in and out when she talked. After growing up in America, her accent began to drift off with the time. "I wanna go in the tree- what the hell is that?"

Looking up just in time, Wally watched some sort of truck come flying through the air and into the tree house way above them. Kuki had gotten to her feet and raced out ward to see where the flying machine had landed. With a smile, she skipped back to her boyfriend, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him to his feet.

"It's in the tree! It's in the tree! Come _on_!" She squealed, hurrying back up the tree, still holding onto Wally's hand. Pulling him along with her, Wally scrambled to get his own footing, nearly falling out of the tree when she let go of his hand to grab the next branch. He clung to the lower branch, forcing himself up with his upper body, his little legs flailing in the air.

"Kuki! Hold up!"

Already half way up the tree, Kuki poked her head through the leaves, the roof of the house just below her. Wally was still making his way up the tree, his shorter and stouter body putting the Australian at a disadvantage. She looked back at him, and frowned, telling him to 'hurry up' before she leapt from her branch and onto the red tiled roof. Twirling around to watch as Wally struggled to the final branch, Kuki giggled as he practically fell from the tree, landing face first on the roof.

"Pipe down." He huffed, getting to his feet and brushing twigs and leaves from his clothes and hair. "Now where?"

"The stairs of course!" Kuki pointed her slim finger towards the old wooden staircases just ahead. But there were already numerous stairs missing from the first few, making the entire thing a safety hazard. Looking up at it now, Wally remembered why they had never used these stairs. As Kuki danced forward, her boyfriend hung back, staring up at the tree, then at the staircase, then back at the tree.

"Uh-huh-huh…Maybe we should wait till we talk to Nigel…"

But Kuki had other plans, grabbing hold of Wally's wrist and pulling him along with her.

As Kuki and Wally made their way up the rundown set of stairs, Fanny ordered the landing of the flying Garbage Truck.

"We've landed in the Sector V hanger, Numbuh 86, just like you said!" Numbuh 2435 said, saluting her superior. "Our readings say all is clear, sir." Nigel looked down at the young girl, his head threatening to start the pain again with the mention of sector V.

Noticing Nigel cringe, Fanny simply nodded to the group of children. "Very well. Return to your school immediately." She gently placed a hand on Nigel's shoulder. "I think Nuh- uhm. Nigel and I can handle it from here."

"Yes, sir ma'am sir!" Chorused the group, all looking up at Nigel with wide eyes and awe. They all looked like they were staring at a child hood hero, and somewhere deep down, Nigel was honored to see that look. But he didn't exactly know why he deserved such a look of reverence. "Good luck, Numbuh One!" They said, waving and smiling and giggling. "Great to see ya, Numbuh one!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Fanny growled, putting her helmet, which was really just an awesomely decorated spaghetti strainer, onto her head. "Numbuh One and I got some catchin' up to do." She grabbed on to Nigels wrist again, pulling him to the back of the ship while Numbuh 2435 ordered for the opening. "You ready?" Asked the red head, holding out the pair of sunglasses.

With a smirk, Nigel took the glasses into his hands, not quiet ready to put them on yet. "I've been ready for two years."

_~Not as long as the last chapter, but hopefully just as good if not better. Or maybe it's worse. If you think so, please tell me! I wanna write books for a living sooner or later, and what better way to sharpen your skills then through writing about your favorite people and childhood heros right? Right. Review please, and chapter three coming to ya soon!~_


	3. Walls And Halls and Rooms of Memories

_~ Authors Note: Would you actually believe me if I told you this was originally supposed to be a Nigel and Abby one shot thing? Well it was, but I sorta changed the whole plot around and stuff…and I really like this plot instead! Anyway, YAY! It's my first third chapter to any story I've written! Hopefully I can actually finish this before Summer ends, ya know? But I'm going on vacation for two weeks, and I probably won't have any access to a computer, so I'm gonna try and at least get through half the story before I leave. _

_Anywho, enjoy it. Read it and Review aaaaaaand here we go! ~_

Abigail paced back and forth on the far end of the parking lot, toying with her hair to try and calm her nerves. But it seemed that this Nigel guy knew her from another time, and vice versa. After three years of odd dreams, dreams about fighting adults dressed in one lousy outfit or other, dreams about sitting around on a deck, drinking root beer and eating nachos with people she knew to be best friends, but she couldn't actually see their faces. She had been searching for answers and it seemed that she finally found one person who could help her. Then again, as Abby thought about it, it appeared that Hoagie also seemed to hold a key to her strange dreams. She felt as if they had known each other in some other life.

Turning to pace the length of the side walk yet again, she was relieved to find the form of Hoagie walking through the blazing sun, his eyes turned upward, lost in thought. Abby froze for a moment, almost mesmerized by the built form making it's way toward her, his ruffled rusty colored hair shimmering in the sun. For that solitary moment…he looked good.

"Well, no Nigel." He said, laughing nervously as he stepped closer to the sixteen year old. With an innocent shrug, he added, "It's odd. He's always in class."

An eyebrow was raised at the semi-nerd. "He wasn't in his fifth period class."

"No but- hey! How would you know that?"

"Abby told you, she saw where he ran off to. She snuck outta her class early to go see if he came out. But he never left, even when the bell rang." She turned away, and continued her pacing. Where could he have gone? _'Wait!_' stopping again, she realized it was just like one of her dreams! Going into one place, only to sneak off to another. Well, in her dreams, there was usually some flying car or something that would appear and take off. "I wonder…"

Hoagie frowned. That's great, the first girl he decided to talk to, and she speaks in third person! _Way to go, Gilligan_, he spat to himself, _you certainly know how to pick the nuts_. Seriously, look at Nigel and his constant disappearing and weird ninja-style sneaking… He shook his head. Maybe he really did need a life. _Perhaps some sort of sport, or maybe cooking would be_- "Whoa-hey!"

Breaking through his thoughts, Abby grabbed hold of Hoagies arm, pulling him towards the back of the school. "Come on! Do you wanna find your friend or do you wanna daydream all afternoon?" She spat. Hoagie opened his mouth to retort, but was suddenly pulled to the left and through an overpass. About as stealthy and quick moving as Nigel, Abby weaved her way through the on coming crowd of High school kids, shoving freshmen and sophomores out of her way. However, Hoagie was towed around like a loose wing on a fighter jet, knocking over anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in his way. Slowing down as Hoagie ran into a larger senior, Abby spun around toward him, eyes alight with annoyance. "Can you hurry up?"

But the green-eyed boy wasn't paying her any heed, only looking terrified up at the enraged senior. "Heh-heh…Gotta run!" Now he bolted ahead of Abby, running from the senior rather than towards Nigels secret hide out. He ignored Abby's cries for him to wait and slowdown, but he kept running, screaming as the senior chased after him. "No-no-no-no! It wasn't me! It wasn't me! Help!"

"Oh for the love of…" Abby sighed, smacking her forehead before changing her course, now directed at the senior. While Hoagie ran screaming through the back door of the school, Abby slid forward, her left leg extended to knock the senior off his feet. Her planned worked, allowing the senior to go crashing into a stray trashcan. With a smirk, she cleaned her hands before nonchalantly making her way out of the door.

Shielding the bright afternoon sun from her eyes, she scanned the deserted back lot for the thick frame of her companion. She growled as she found nothing, and simply made her way towards the abandoned athletic shack. The door was hanging slightly open, which was something it hadn't been the last time she saw it, and she stepped back slightly, raising her fists. Ready for a fight, she kicked the door inward, shouting for who ever was inside to be ready… but only found a cowering Hoagie hiding behind the mini-fridge.

"No! Don't touch me! I'm a good kid!"

"Shut up, fool! It's just me!" Abby hissed, and Hoagie finally opened his eyes, relaxing substantially. However, Abby wasn't looking at him, but staring around the small room in wonder. "Wow…He did all this?" She moved to the wall of Television screens, able to see every corner of the entire school.

Brushing himself off, Hoagie stepped away from his hiding spot, walking up behind Abby. His eyes widened as he stared at the entire school. "He didn't tell me he needed the codes for this. Jeez." He turned around to look at the Mini-fridge and the leather couch. "He didn't tell me about any of this! Man, I sure as hell got the chewed end of the wire on this." He snorted and gently elbowed Abby. "Get it? Wire? Cameras? Ha!"

Abby laughed sarcastically, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you're very funny…No start looking for some kind of control board or something…" She turned away from the cameras, moving towards the fridge and pulling it open, expecting to find some form of alcohol… Surprised, she straightened. "Root beer?"

"What did you expect? Vodka?" Hoagie snorted, lifting up one of the cushions on the couch.

"Well…if I was a teenage boy with a secret hideout…"

"Hmph. You don't know Nigel, that's for sure. Really, he's the biggest kid I've ever seen. It's like he's never grown up!" Still rambling on, he moved to the middle cushion, digging his hand under into the crack. "All he drinks is root beer and nachos and he spends any free time he gets read- Ah!" He whipped his hand back as something clicked. Abigail spun around, quickly moving over to the couch and shoving her hands into the couch.

Her hands rested on what felt like some sort of gun, and she hesitantly brought it out. Hoagie squealed and dove out of the way as she pulled the weapon free of its cushioned prison. In her hand was a…pepper gun? "What in the hell?"

Hoagie gasped, eyes wider than before. "It's a salsa blaster thing-a-majig! It's the one thing Nigel told me about! I thought he was nuts for seeing it in his so called 'flashes'… He actually went ahead and made it?" He slowly stood up again, reluctantly approaching Abigail. But she was lost in thought, staring at the gun, turning it around and around to look for some name or something.

"Abby don't think he _made_ this…" She held it up so Hoagie could see the inscription on the butt of the handle.

KND

"KND? What's that mean? Did he find it or something?" He took it into his own hands, already wanting to take the thing apart to see how it works. "Whoa! Check it out; it's got two different settings! Red peppers and spicy jalapeno! Where are the chips?" In examining it, Hoagie accidentally pulled the trigger, sending a ray of red liquid out of the barrel. Crying out, he jumped back as Abby dove out of the way, letting the red salsa-like liquid hit the bulletin board.

Abby looked up at the board, the drawings still miraculously clean due to laminated sheets. Well, Nigel must've thought of some kind of malfunction happening. While the seventeen year old cowered on the floor, she stood up and moved toward the drawings, seeing them for the first time. Except, it didn't actually feel like the first time, because she knew she had seen every single picture before… well, beside the ones with alien kids… But the tree house, the flying cars and the guns. She stopped, looking at the salsa gun on the floor.

It had appeared in one of her dreams. A young boy had held it, his face hidden by the shadows, but his voice threatening some adult. Her eyes widened. His British voice! She looked up at the wall of memories. The wall of forgotten memories. But she remembered! The tree house was their tree house. They were sector V, and she was Number five of the Kids Next Door. Wait. KND… "It means Kids Next Door…" Abby looked sideways at the cowering Hoagie on the floor. "Numbuh 2…"

She glanced up at the wall of drawings again, finding one of what looked like a younger her. The blue shirt that was way too long, and the rugged old red hat… She pulled back. That's why she knows Nigel, why she felt so close to him. Nigel was their field leader. Her hands began to shake with excitement as all of her dreams suddenly made sense, and she could put faces on every single person in them, and even names.

Spinning towards Hoagie, she grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. "Listen, we hafta hunt down Numbuh one-er- Nigel… and find…" She stopped, snapping her fingers. What were the other names? "Wally and Kuki!"

"Wally?" Hoagie looked at her as if she were crazy. "What do we Wally and his crazy girlfriend for?"

"Numbuh four and Numbuh three finally hit it off?" She pulled back, laughing as she moved back over to the board. "Oh man, that is just too good!" Where did Nigel go? The video screens to her left suddenly crackled, and she turned towards them, smiling. Of course! "Numbuh two, Numbuh five wants to see what happened around this school two hours ago. We're gonna see which direction Numbuh one headed and go from there. Numbuh five don't think he walked off solo."

"Numbuh five? Numbuh- what are you talking about?" Hoagie, still on the floor, stared at her in disbelief. Oh yeah, he definitely knew how to pick the nuts!

"Forget about it now, just get me the videos of two hours ago!" Abby, once again Numbuh Five, shouted at him.

"Y-y-yes ma'am!" Hoagie stuttered, scurrying over to the screens and to the small laptop beside them. Numbuh five paced behind him, once again thinking furiously. She had her memory come back to her in dreams… but how did Numbuh one have his memories return to him? And did he actually remember? Shaking her head, Numbuh five doubted he actually remembered, for he wouldn't have all of these random drawings on his board. Knowing Numbuh one…again… she knew he would much rather be out fighting and actually being a Kids Next Door operative rather than drawing pictures of them.

A smile spread across her face now. "Time to reunite the team, Numbuh one."

"Can't. Go. On…Need. Soda…" He struggled up the stair case, practically crawling bit by bit. His long blond hair hung in his face, drenched with sweat while his orange hoodie had been discarded about five minutes ago. It was now in the hands of Kuki, who sat at the top of stairs, waiting patiently, but still annoyed, for her boyfriend. Her eyes drifted all around the deck of the tree house, pieces of wood missing, and some looking to be charred from some sort of fire. But everything looked untouched for at least a few years. Maybe three or four.

Finally, Wally appeared from around the corner, and Kuki squealed with delight as she jumped to her feet, eager to explore. Her small green dress hung from her body as she twirled around the deck, careful to miss the holes. It was amazing! It felt just like home to her, as if she had spent s good chunk of her life in the tree house. She stopped for a moment, considering the odd feeling she had been there before, but soon shrugged it off and resumed her twirling. Wally pulled himself onto the deck now, sweating and panting like an over weight dog after a long run.

"Still. Need. Soda." He croaked, carefully getting to his feet, but grabbed hold of a stray overgrown branch to keep himself stable. "Kuki. What the crud are you doing?" But before he finished asking, she had disappeared into one of the old wooden doors. "Kuki!"

"Ooooo! You gotta come see this Wally!" Her voice echoed from the door, and he stumbled his way over to the door, hair hanging in his tired eyes as he fell through it. Groaning from the pain of impact, he looked up at the hall way before him, his eyes growing to the size of saucers.

"Wow!" Whistled the Australian as he got to his feet, his strength suddenly returning. The entire hall way was lined with various candy and vending machine, all of them free of charge, it appeared. His baby blue eyes immediately brightened as he rushed over to the one closest him. Even though he was nearly seventeen years old, he still had the heart, and the mind, of a little kid, despite his newly found likeness to cigarettes. But he put all of the teenage drugs and adult crimes out of his way when some kind of kid activity was involved. Smiling wildly, he began imputing different numbers and codes, watching as the candy fell with absolute delight. "We hit the jack pot, Kuki! What do you want, baby? Some Coco Logs? Maybe a Nuttuh Twistuh?" He looked behind him, but couldn't find his girlfriend. "Huh? Kuki?"

There was no reply, except for his own echo. His senses suddenly went onto high alert as he made his way down the hall, fists raised and ready for a fight. Still, he felt a twinge of fear since his dearly beloved was nowhere in sight.

"Uhm…Kuki?"

Again, no reply. Wally began to shake slightly while he made his way further down the hall, the light from the open door beginning to fade, but a new light coming from up ahead. He called her name again, and began to pick up his pace, moving towards the light. The light actually came from a window of some sort, but in shone into a room across the way, and Wally poked his head around the corner.

"Kuki? Are you okay, hon?" He found her, standing in the center of the room, looking down at something in her hands. Cautiously, he stepped forward, lowering his fists to his side. "Kuki?"

She turned around in what appeared to be slow motion, her eyes some what misty and confused as she held up an old photo. It was an old picture of a little Wallabee, pouting on the floor while a little Kuki danced around him with a handful of rainbow monkeys. He stared at the picture in shock, looking from his girlfriend to the picture, than back at his girlfriend. "Where did this come from?" his voice was just above a whisper as his fried brain searched for some sort of explanation.

Without a word, she grabbed onto her boyfriends hand, pulling him slowly back into the hall, but further down than he had gone. Numerous pictures lined the walls, covered in dust and cobwebs. Kuki grabbed one from the wall, blowing the thick layer of time away. An annoyed ten year old was glaring at the camera over a pair of shiny sunglasses, his arms folded and his head completely bald. Wally pulled back, amazed.

"Holy shit! That's Nigel!" He cried, holding his head as shock began to set in. Forcing himself to calm down, he turned away to the opposite wall, taking two old pictures off of it. Kuki gently wiped the dust away, revealing two group pictures, one with Nigel standing in the middle, his arms folded over his chest again, but this time smirking, and then Kuki and Wally standing to his left, hanging on each other, while the two kids on his right stood simply smiling. But he didn't recognize the other two, so he handed it over to Kuki and looked at the other group shot, this one with out Nigel, a sad look in everyone's eyes as they smiled sadly, with the black skinned girl with the red hat standing in front, the sunglasses on the rim of her hat.

"Wally?" Kuki's voice sounded strained and extremely confused.

"Yeah?"

"Why does this place seem so familiar?"

Wally looked back at the picture of him and Kuki as little ten-year-old kids. "I… don't know…"

Nigel walked through what Fanny called the control tower of the tree house, his flash light off and in his back pocket since the light from the sun came through the old and shattered window. Parts of the tower were charred, the tire in the crevice in the center of the room out of place and the cushions scattered all around. Something had happened here, and he wanted to know what, why and who. But Fanny was in the other room, shuffling through some old papers and belongings, refusing to answer his questions directly.

So, he walked around on his own, looking the tree house up and down, staring at the faded KND painted on the far wall. He had stood before it countless times. When he was a child, only about nine or ten years old, he used to stand on the platform. Stepping up onto the stage, he recalled it to be higher off the ground, and laughed as he remembered that he had been much shorter.

Suddenly, he froze. Did he just remember something? Something that didn't come to him in a painful flashback? He stepped forward, closer to the edge of the stage, his foot stepping onto some sort of button. A podium suddenly popped out from below, taking the bald teenager by surprise. It only reached his thighs, and he had to kneel to be able to actually use it. The stage, the podium, and the entire tree house…it all felt like home to him. The constant pain in his head that remained regardless of what he was thinking suddenly disappeared as his entire memory came rushing back to him. Around him, the room spun, and he struggled to keep his balance as his head swam with so many memories.

Father and the Delightful Children From Down the Lane, Mr. Boss, The Crazy Cat Lady, Count Spakulot, Numbuh 362, Numbuh 86, Numbuh five… He gasped, realizing why he had gotten such a headache from Abigail. She had been Numbuh five! And then Hoagie had been Numbuh two, Numbuh four had been…Wally?

Losing his balance, his knees buckled under him, forcing him off the stage and onto the old wooden floor. Luckily, it wasn't that much of a fall, but he still couldn't get up, all of his memories making his head spin, and causing his lunch to start coming up. It was all too much to take in at once, and he rolled onto his hands and knees, suddenly becoming violently sick.

Did he really fight adults when he was only ten years old? Was it even possible? He shook his head, looking around the room. Everything in this very room had been disproved by science and fact! Garbage trucks didn't fly, mustard canisters weren't guns…but some how these Kids Next Door made it possible. Groaning, he vomited onto the floor again. This was too much. But still… His eyes wandered up to the sunglasses he had dropped when he fell, and he carefully crawled over to them. He was Numbuh One, leader of Sector V. Shaking slightly, he took the shades into his hands, putting them on again, feeling the power he once had surge through him.

His strength slowly returned, but he still didn't get to his feet. Something was missing, however, like another unexplained chunk of his childhood. He knew he had been leader of sector V at least until he was eleven…but about a week after he turned eleven, he couldn't remember what had happened to them.

"Nigel?" Numbuh 86's voice grated on his ears, and he laughed as he remembered just how annoying she used to be. Apparently some things didn't change. "Nigel, are you o- yuck! That's disgustin'!"

He looked back at the vomit on the floor, and offered her a small apologetic smile. As she looked at him, she paused, surprised by the shades back where they were meant to be. "Numbuh 86." Greeted Nigel with a small nod.

"Nigel?"

"No…" His strength fully restored, he got to his feet, brushing off his black shirt and jeans. He looked strangely at the clothing and made a mental note to find a long sleeved red shirt and some cargo pants. With a smirk one again on his face, he looked up at Numbuh 86, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest. "No…Numbuh 1."

_~Authors Note: Ta-da! The memory has returned. Sorry again about how there was only a little Wally/Kuki and Nigel…But I promise next chapter it'll be mostly Nigel and Wally and Kuki…Hope you enjoyed it, so review please and be ready for chapter four!~_


	4. Nothing's Changed Everything's Different

_~Authors Note: Still don't own the KND yet…And here's chapter four, my readers. Hope you like it. If you have a problem, Leave a review and let me know if I should change something or make something better. Any way…Read Review…Have fuuuuuun!~_

"No…Numbuh 1."

Fanny smiled, ignoring the half digested sandwich on the floor as she walked over to Nigel. It was amazing, how strong he suddenly looked, and how his entire body seemed almost completely at ease without the pain in his head. His posture was already more relaxed than before, but he had regained the look of determination and leading. She stood before him, saluting him before holding out her hand. "Glad to have ya back, sir!"

"But I don't understand…" He looked curiously at her hand before reluctantly shaking it. "You were second in command…how am I the hero here?"

"You mean you don't remember how you became _the_ Numbuh one?" When he only shook his head, Numbuh 86 groaned and slapped her forehead. "Oh great! The skills we need and you forget them!" She already began to storm away, her flashlight poised and ready. "Follow me!" She barked.

Following her lead, Nigel took his flashlight from his back pocket, making a mental note to remember to clean up his discarded lunch the first chance he got. But he wasn't quiet sure if he was going to come back, or why Fanny even wanted him to remember everything in the first place. As he opened his mouth to ask, he suddenly realized where they were going, and happily took the lead as they weaved their way towards his own room. The lights were all out and it seemed all of the electricity was down. "What happened to all of the hamsters?"

"Permanent Vacation in Sector J. After the decommissionin' of your old team, Sector V was shut down by your request. Do you remember that much, boy?"

He flinched slightly as Fanny spat back at him. Well, she certainly was the same old Fanny, that was for sure. Still, he couldn't recall why he would want to shut down the tree house he used to love so much. "No… I don't remember much of anything after the…scavenger hunt…"

"Hm. Well, at least you got as far as we thought you would. Those Galactic decommission machines are a lot more powerful than our 2 by 4 technology." She stopped for a second, looking down the hall of vending machines, eyes narrowed. "Hello?" Nigel back tracked a few steps to see what she was looking at, but only found the dimly lit hall.

"What?"

She shook her head, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward his room again. "Nothing. We don't have much time now."

"Time for what?" He demanded, pulling his arm free and scrutinizing Fanny over his sunglasses. "You haven't told me one thing about why the blazes we're here, and what the hell is going on and why you wanted me to remember the Kids Next Door and-" When Fanny simply huffed and stalked away, he trailed off, letting the entire rant fall flat before starting after her. "Numbuh 86! Wait up!"

"I told you! I'm not allowed to tell you anything. Numbuh 362 herself told me to keep my mouth shut!"

Nigel stopped mid-stride, his eyes wide with surprise and excitement. "Numbuh 362? Rachel? She's still in the Kids Next Door?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned the opposite way, rushing back to the control room. Fanny skidded to a stop, looking back at the rapidly disappearing figure of Nigel Uno before darting off after him. What the heck was his big rush?

"Numbuh One! Where the hell do you think you're going? I thought you wanted to know what happened- where'd you go?" She screeched angrily, looking around the vacant control room. The sound of echoing footsteps caught her attention, and she quickly turned toward the hidden staircase beside the elevator. "Nigel Uno! You get your-"

"Shut up and get your ass down here!" He yelled from below, and Fanny turned bright red with fury as a bald brit bossed her around! Oh, he was just asking for a broken nose. For a second, she cursed herself for resurrecting such a stubborn and domineering operative. "We have to get to the moon base…wonder if my car still works…" his voice still echoed as he rushed down the stairs. If any one would tell him a thing or two about his past, it would be Rachel. God, it felt like ages since he saw her, and he was surprised by how bad he wanted to see her again.

Wow. He stopped dead, taking in the fact that he missed Rachel more than he seemed to miss his precious tree house…had he suddenly developed some sort of…Just then, Fanny came barreling into his back, sending both of them flying down the stair case.

Unbeknownst to the other two operatives stuck tumbling down the staircase, Wally and Kuki were making their way through the Hangers main entrance. Kuki looked up at the high ceiling with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open while Wally gawked from behind her. Dozens of strange vehicles hung from the ceiling, while a select few remained on the floor, just collecting dust and bird nests. The Australian stepped closer to a nearby cart, an engine fused into the basket with a pair of wings bolted to either side. As soon as he went to touch it, a bird cawed and fluttered out from under the engine, taking the blond by surprise. "What in the hell?"

Letting Wally curse out the creature on his own, Kuki made her way further into the hanger, staring at the small plane in the very center. It resembled that of an actual passenger airplane, but a much smaller version. She cocked her head to the right. "I remember it being bigger…"

"You mean you actually remember that piece of shit? I've never seen that before in my life!" Wally came up beside her, feathers stuck in his hair now. "This whole place is just creeping me out. I say we go home and pretend this never happen- what was that?" He spun towards a dark entranceway, a voice shouting to another. Panicking, he grabbed hold of Kuki's hand and dove into a nearby piece of junk, the door hanging wide open.

"Look out!" Cried the voice before the painful sound of a body colliding with old but still hard wood filled the hanger. Another voice was screaming at the first, while the first bickered his side of the argument. "You're the stupid one that barreled into me! Now get off and let's find my car!" a pause before the first voice screamed angrily. "What do you mean my Car's nothing but a pile of melded steel?"

Kuki gasped, peering through the dusted window as Nigel appeared through the entrance, wiping dust and wood chips from his clothes while some red haired girl stumbled out behind him, looking extremely angry. She looked down at Wally with wide eyes. "It's Nigel!"

"Huh?" He scrambled away from the old and torn seat to peer out of the small hole. Sure enough, Nigel was walking through the hanger, his flashlight scanning over every piece of metal in the hanger. Once the light began making it's way toward their spot, Wally ducked, grabbing his girlfriends' hand and forcing her down with him. His eyes danced around the aircraft, looking for some other way out. "Oh crap! That brit bastards going to char us alive."

While Wally panicked, Nigel and Fanny examined the crafts at closer range, trying to find one that will make it to the moon. "We used to fly in these things? To the moon? That's impossible!" He squeaked, throwing his hands around.

"Nothing is impossible in the Kids Next Door, Numbuh one. You of all people should know that." She sneered, enjoying the confused and annoyed look she received. As Nigel began turning a dark shade of purple, she actually started laughing, walking through the hanger. "I think it's easier if we just wait for the kids to get done in school before we take off to the moon… Besides, I'm gonna need to warn everyone that you're…"

"We can take this one." Nigel confirmed, walking over to the large green tin can. He knocked on the metal, waiting to see if it would crumble or collapse, but to his excitement, it remained perfectly in tact.

Inside, Wally froze when the sound of a fist on the outside of the vehicle sounded, and he quickly crawled away from the door, pulling open one of the control panels. He ushered Kuki inside before crawling into the shaft himself and locking it behind him. His plan was to wait for Nigel and his red haired companion to leave, and then they would run like a bat out of hell. Fool proof and perfect!

"Are you even listening to me?" Fanny spat as Nigel climbed into the green vehicle. Truth was, he didn't hear anything she said in the last five minutes, and she knew it. "Nigel Uno, I swear to-"

"You can drive these things, right? I don't think Hoagie will actually believe me when I call him and tell him I need to fly to the moon…" His baldhead poked out of the piece of junk, eyebrow raised in question, but before she even answered, he had disappeared back inside. "Man, if only the others were here…Hoagie and Kuki and Wally and…Abby…" He froze, his hand hovering over the auto start panel. "Abigail… She knows who we are!"

Numbuh 86 pulled herself into the aircraft, glaring daggers at the sixteen year old, still frozen over the controls. As she made her way towards him, torn between smacking him in the back of the head and gently putting a hand on his shoulder, he suddenly moved, his hands working over the old buttons. It was amazing, how he recalled every single move, every single code to something he hadn't used for nearly five years. But that was just how Nigel worked. He never forgot anything having to do with his job. One of the benefits of being a workaholic.

"I think Numbuh two might have input a way to moon base via auto pilot, just in case of an emergency. But I can't remember for sure… Numbuh 86, can you drive this?" He looked back at her, and she slowly nodded, opening her mouth to say something, but he didn't give her the chance. "Great. Make a course straight for Moon Base. Since you won't tell me anything, I'm going to get Rachel to talk."

"And what makes you think she'll tell you?" Spat Numbuh 86, looking around as the vehicle suddenly came to life. Lights flickered on, the smell of burning dust drifting to her nose, while the control board flickered to life and the wheel set itself straight again. Nigel was silent, pulling out a piano from under the controls to hit the keys in a specific order. Bicycle pedals appeared around the entire truck. "What the…?"

"In case we don't have enough fuel to make it to Moon Base. I'm not expecting any trouble on our way out, since the adults have known me to be out of commission for years now, but if there is, we're going to need the energy to hold them off." He moved to the pair of pedals in the direct center of the craft.

"Numbuh one, as second in command, I order you to step down." Fanny growled, and Nigel paused mid-stride, before looking back at her.

"Numbuh 86, as a Veteran for something and as leader of sector V, I tell you that this a super quadruple important meeting that must be held whether you authorize it or not! You're the one that tried to make me remember, you're the one that broke into my hideout and brought me back here, and so now it's your responsibility to continue this adventure that _you_ started. Do I make myself clear?"

She looked as if she was about to explode with fury, but Numbuh One held her gaze, showing no signs of backing down, and appeared to be quiet ready to fight if need be. Seeing there was no longer a point to arguing, she reluctantly backed down, cursing under her breath as she sat on the pilots' bicycle. Nigel smirked to himself, setting his glasses carefully on his face before taking his seat on the captains' bike. He glanced sadly at the other three seats, and sighed.

"Do you think the others remember?"

"To hell if I know. And to hell if I care! Only a select few are able to remember anything after decommissioning, and they make into the Teenage Kids Next Door instead of the stupid Teen ninjas." She began pedaling, reaching over and pressing several buttons to start the engines. "But I think they've learned their lesson about messing with has been KND operatives, so your former team mates otta be fine."

"Oh." He looked down at his feet as the large machine lifted itself into the air rather shakily. "So, what's happened while I was gone?"

"Just Father flippin' his lid and the Delightful nuts dropping out of high school to become adults at work." She laughed evilly. "The Kids in sector M put a camera in their office, and now their day at work is a comedy reality show we watch every Friday night up at the Moon Base! Last week, they all broke down crying because one customer gave 'em a piece of his mind. I hafta say, they are some good entertainment."

"Okay." Nigel said slowly, rolling his eyes. "So, if they're out of the picture, who do the KND fight?"

Fanny ushered the aircraft out into the open air, positioning it just right for a direct boost to the Moon Base. "We still have all the new rounds of Teen Ninja's on our butts, and all of the old kid hatin' villains found apprentices and stuff. Like Mr. Boss now has the Intern, Grandma Stuffum has the Healthy Chef, Knightbrace has his daughter Sweet Tooth. The list goes on and on. It's all a never ending cycle between adult tyrannies and fighting for the rights of kids. It just never ends!"

"And you need me because…?"

"Because this new person showed up, just about as bad as any adult criminal, but worse! We don't know who they are or what they have against kids, but they are horrible!" Fanny shivered in her seat, rapidly clicking buttons and codes. "We've lost- HEY! You aren't supposed to know about this yet!" She screeched, turning around in her seat and glaring at him. He turned a light shade of red as his own little plan was uncovered, and he looked down at his pedals again, muttering apologies. "Sheesh, You haven't changed one bit, Mr. Uno."

"Numbuh One, Ms…uhm…"

She cackled, pushing the thrusters to full, ignoring Nigels request to not use any energy. Already, she was annoyed with the teenager, and he's really only been Numbuh one for about fifteen minutes. The sooner they got to the Moon Base, the sooner he would be Rachel's problem. "Buckle up, Numbuh One. Or do you want to fall flat on your backside again?" She sneered, relishing in the curses coming from behind her.

Still hiding in the small compartment, Wally sat with his ear pressed against the metal door, listening to everything going on. Kuki clung to him while the entire thing began to move, and they struggled to keep their mouths shut. He had mentioned their name, but Wally had no clue about anything else he had been saying. Nigel always seemed a little out of sorts to him, but now he was more than three hundred percent coconuts!

"Wally!" Kuki hissed, pulling him out of his 'how weird Nigel is rant'. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's going on?"

He laughed nervously. "Heh-heh. Good question, babe…"

Three seconds later, the entire lump of metal lurched forward at remarkable speed, sending the two against the metal wall behind them, screaming under the roar of the rocket engines. _What in the name of all things holy is going on?_ Wally growled in his head, while still screaming.

"Owls who! Get it? Like how owls really 'hoo'?" Hoagie threw his head back, laughing hysterically, while Abigail struggled to keep herself from smashing her head against the window. "Oh-oh-oh! There's another great one about-"

"Numbuh Five swears if she has to hear one more stupid joke, she is going to throw you out of this damn plane!" She cried, smacking him in the back of the head. Hit number four. "Just shut up and get us to that tree house!"

Hoagie frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, one, this obviously not a plane. It's a super chelated clathrate complex fused with the correct albedo of absolute zero and a spectroscopic nebula! Come on, It's like fourth grade science. And, two, you can't honestly expect me to know where your little tree house is! There's about 1.3 million people in this state, a fourth of them kids, so that's about .32 million tree houses in the entire state of Virginia!" He snapped, sticking his tongue out at the girl beside him. But when he noticed she wasn't actually paying him any attention, he huffed before moving his eyes back to the sky.

And what did he find? An enormous tree house, looming before them, sprouting out of some ones house. Hoagie sighed, burying his face in his palm. Oh, of course, just his luck.

"I take it this is the tree you want, m'lady?" He sneered, sarcastically, looking over at Abigail. However, she still refused to look at him, suddenly leaning over from the passengers seat, turning the wheel and forcing the flying craft to the side. "Hey! What do you think you are-" The sound of a new pair of engines, sounding much older and in desperate need of repair, blasted by, Hoagie only catching a glimpse of something green. Abigail turned around in her seat, eyes wide and a smile on her face.

"Well if it isn't Numbuh 86 again!"

"You mean the red head that attacked Nigel?" The seventeen year old turned around in his seat as well, looking at the line of black exhaust. "What? Is she kidnapping him to outer space?"

"Moon Base…" She muttered, before whirling back toward Hoagie. "Stop starin' and lets get a move on! Follow that thing exactly! Every twist, every turn, everythin'."

"Alright, alright. Don't get your bra all in a fit."

"What did you just say?" Abigail hissed, her hand ready to slap for the fifth time that car ride.

Hoagie laughed nervously, quickly turning his home made flying car around. "Heh. Nothing! Just that I heard you loud and clear and that you're very… uhm… pretty…" He smiled weakly at her, before quickly putting the car into fourth gear. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Buckle your seatbelt, Ms. Lincoln. Were punchin' it to overdrive!" He snorted. "Haha…get it? Drive?"

"For gods sake! SHUT UP AND FOLLOW THEM!"

With a small scream, Hoagie returned to the control panel, quickly preparing the car for a sudden blast. "Okay…Sheesh…don't have to get so personal about it…"

_~Chapter Five is under construction, so worry not fellow KND operatives. It should be up soon enough. Hope you liked what you read. And review please, I wanna Know if I did a good job or not, ya know… TA!~_


	5. Stowaways and Sneaking Teens

_~Authors Note: Sorry I didn't update right away, but it took nearly three days to get this how I wanted it, and I do have somewhat of a life, so I was out doing things. But don't worry! My life is back to nothing, so most of my attention will be focused on KND and this fanfiction and so and so forth. Any way, There's not much in this chapter, just a lot of setting things up and getting ready to have the whole story unfold. There's a little action at the bottom, but It'll increase in further chapters, I assure you. _

_So, Read, Enjoy, And Review. Still Don't own KND ~_

Pouting in the captains seat of his Scamper, Nigel glared angrily at the floor as Fanny used the entirety of their fuel and conserved energy. Well, Fanny was still her stubborn self, and definitely didn't take any crap from any one, even veterans. He rubbed his red cheek where he could already feel a bruise forming after Fanny's power punch. An operative for thirty minutes, and he was already injured.

Fanny tried to keep herself from laughing as Nigel continued to pout in his seat, looking just like his old self, only taller. She had to say that she was enjoying the silence now, the craft floating in space. Numbuh 362 still didn't expect their arrival, so she continued to take her sweet time, knowing that the only thing that awaited her was some sort of punishment. Nigel sighed yet again, looking around the old craft, his mind drifting back to so many adventures. His team had used this vehicle for so many different missions, including the very last one he could remember.

"OW!"

Nigel jumped to his feet, his gun in hand as he looked around, Fanny also springing from her spot. But they couldn't see any one or anything that might have caused the noise. He looked sideways at Fanny before looking at the radio, silently asking if someone had radioed in a cry for help. They were, however, soon proved wrong.

"You're stepping on my foot!" A males voice grumbled, the two Operatives spinning towards the voice. Nigel's eyebrows pulled together as he thought he had heard the familiar voice come from beneath one of the control panels. His curiosity was shared by the Irish teen beside him, and the two slowly made their way across the floating truck. "Ow! Will you stop that?"

"You're pulling on my hair!" Spat another voice, which confirmed where the stowaways were located. "And be quiet! They can hear us."

Fanny pulled open the metal cabinet, her gun raised and ready to fire as the two tumbled out and onto the floor. "Make that they did hear us!" She growled, setting her gun. But Nigel pulled the gun from her hand, pointing at the frozen figures of Wally and Kuki, looking up at them with apologetic smiles. Noticing who they actually were, Fanny groaned and smacked her forehead. "You two? Oh, Numbuh 362 is going to have a cow!"

"I'm about ready to have a cow. Numbuh-er- Wally, what the blazes are you doing here?" Nigel huffed, folding his arms as he looked down on them. "And Kuki?"

Wally quickly got to his feet, shoving his finger into the bald mans face. "Yeah? Well, what are you doing here, huh? Maybe, uh, we were the ones supposed to be here an-and _you_ were the ones trespassin'!"

Numbuh one didn't budge, only lifting an eyebrow. "If we weren't supposed to be here, why were you the one hiding?"

"Well, I have a picture that proves Kuki and I are allowed to be here!" He stuffed his hand into his jeans pocket, pulling out an old and wrinkled photo. Shoving in Nigels face, he continued, "And we didn't see your picture anywhere, so that tree house…and this thing…must belong to us!"

"What do you mean we didn't find a picture of him?" Kuki said, reaching into her own pocket. Still listening, Nigel took the photo from Wally, while Fanny examined it over his shoulder. The Asian pulled another picture and waved it in the air for Fanny to take, Wally planting his face in his palm. "We found this one, and a picture with him and us and a buncha other people, too!"

"I knew I saw someone in that old wooden outhouse." Fanny muttered, looking at an annoyed ten-year-old Nigel.

"Don't talk about my tree house that way." Nigel said nonchalantly, his mind still trying to wrap around what was going on. It was obvious they didn't have enough fuel to go back to earth and then back to the moon base. He smirked over at Fanny. "Looks like they wanted to tag along."

"They don't even remember! There is no way I'm taking them Moon Base."

"Well, we could have taken them back…had we enough energy! And they may remember."

"Holy Crap!" Wally's voice sounded half terrified and half surprised, as he stared out into space. He turned his wide eyes back to the three in the craft. "We're in freakin' space! That's not even possible, is it?" Kuki danced to his side, squealing as well. Obviously, they didn't remember a single thing about the Kids Next Door. Nigel frowned, ignoring the smirk from his co-pilot.

"Too bad. They were KND operatives once, they have every right to come back to Moon Base." Nigel said, taking the picture of him out of Fanny's hand and placing it in his back pocket. When she opened her mouth to argue, he clenched his fists, towering over her. "I said too bad, Numbuh 86. You will take my former teammates and me to the Moon Base right now. We will use the last of our fuel to get there as soon as we can and I do not want to hear another complaint or another objection from you. Do. You. Understand?"

Fanny turned a dark shade of red, her eyes narrowing to slits as she fought the urge to deck the boy before her. Never had he talked to her like that, no matter how serious things got, she couldn't recall Nigel being the way he is now. But alas, she knew he had reasons for wanting to see the Supreme Leader, so she couldn't argue much. Wally stood behind Nigel, waiting for the boy to get a good ass kicking, but was soon disappointed as Fanny turned away. She simply took her seat without another word, while Nigel made his way back to his cushioned captains seat. Kuki and Wally exchanged amazed looks before slowly taking a seat in the nearest chair.

"Ship ready for your command, sir." Fanny said through gritted teeth, and Nigel tried hard not to smirk.

Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned back with a full-blown smile on his face. "That's good. Direct course for Moon Base, Numbuh 86… and step on it." He looked annoyingly at the other two, glaring at Wally. "I will deal with you later."

"What the hell is that?" Hoagie gasped, as he watched the ship they trailed dock at what appeared to be some sort of red plant holding numerous buildings and crafts together. Of all the years he had studied the planets, he had never heard of some sort of tree house growing on the moon. Then again, he constantly stayed away from the moon, thinking there was nothing exciting on it. "It's like another one of those tree houses…"

"The most important one, and also the best stocked. It has everything a kid would want, and holds every single Kids Next Door operative." Abigail said, staring almost lovingly at the tree that had practically became her third home –the second being the sector V tree house-. She glanced back at Hoagie, sitting in his seat, gawking at everything. "You don't remember any of this, Numbuh 2? Why, you used to fly everyone to this place…"

"The only thing I remember is that in every fairy tale I ever read, there was never a tree house on the moon. And what is with all of this Kids Next Door stuff? And why do you insist on calling me Numbuh 2?" Demanded the pilot, shooting an annoyed glance her way. "I never actually intended on coming to space! All I wanted to know where Nigel's little hideaway was."

"Well that's what ya get for bein' so damn nosey!" Abigail spat, before turning back to the Moon Base. She pointed towards the loading dock Nigels ship landed upon. "Head for the bottom dock. No one lands there."

"What do you expect us to do after that? I don't know about you, but I don't think any mastermind that built this place is actually open to an open house." He didn't even giggle at his own joke. "Do you honestly think we're going to find Nigel in there? We don't even know if he's actually with the red head."

"Abby just knows, so shut up and get us to that dock. I'll explain when we actually land…" She suddenly whipped around, grabbing hold of his shirt and pulling him inches to her face. "And you will listen to everything I say, got that? Don't pull anything stupid." She hissed menacingly, before releasing him and shoving back into his own chair.

Hoagie cleared his throat after squealing and screaming in terror every time Abigail looked as if she was going to hit him, and he slowly nodded. "Y-y-y-yes ma'am."

"Listen, Numbuh 527, I really don't want to hear why you think you might have failed your spelling test, when you walk into your tree house, everything else is put on hold. I want you and the rest of Sector D to hunt down Grandma Stuffum and her little lackey and get them to artic base A.S.A. NOW! If you need any assistance, we have several teams on hold for back up. Moon Base out." Rachel rubbed her temples before turning to the next awaiting KND operative. As much as she loved being in charge of such a powerful group of Kids, the annoyance and the headaches were the baggage that came with it. "Hello, Numbuh 954, did you shut down the toe jam factory?" She smiled as she received the affirmative and commended the team on a job well done before ordering them to rest. Turning to the last screen, Rachel lost her smile, returning to her serious state. "Sector T, I need you and your team to track down Father and make sure he hasn't started anything new…we don't want him involved with operation N." The commanding officer gave a small nod in acceptance than the screen went blank, allowing Numbuh 362 to relax.

With a sigh, she turned away to stroll across the bridge, thinking deeply. Fanny should have returned from Nigel duty about an hour or so ago, and without some sort of message from her, Rachel was beginning to assume the worst. Something must have happened to either her or Nigel, and maybe even both. Rachel stopped mid-stride, cringing at the thought. Oh man, if something had happened to Nigel, the Kids Next Door might be doomed.

"No!" She cried aloud, not receiving any curious glances from her comrades, since it wasn't very odd to have the Supreme Leader thinking out loud. Even if Nigel didn't remember anything about his past, he would still have enough sense to keep himself safe from any harm. But what about Fanny? Again, Rachel said a simple 'no', knowing her best friend to constantly put up a fight no matter what. So, if they were both presumed safe, what on earth…or moon…could have happened to them?

"Per-permission to approach, sir…"

Rachel spun around to find Fanny making her way up the stairs, her feet dragging along the floor. With a smile, Numbuh 362 rushed to her friend, pulling her into a quick huig before pushing her away and holding to her shoulders. "What took you so long? You were supposed to be back here at 0-500!"

"Uhm…well…I sorta…Picked up a few-"

"What the crud is this place? There's nothing but little runts runnin around in funny clothes and crap." Wallys voice shouted from below, and Rachel's relief soon turned to anger as she shoved Fanny away and stalked to the edge of her bridge. And there he was, standing on the floor below her, with his arms folded over his chest, an eyebrow raised above beautiful blue eyes hidden behind mysterious and threatening sunglasses. They stood, just staring at each other for a moment or two, before Rachel looked past him to find Wally and Kuki with their faces shoved against the wall sized window looking out into space. "Coo-hoo-hoo-ool!"

"God…what did you do?" Numbuh 86 folded and unfolded her hands while she tried to prepare herself for what ever Rachel would fire at her. But the Supreme Leader was too busy clenching and unclenching her grip on the rail, trying to decided whether to be livid or ecstatic. "Fanny…" She finally managed.

"Y-yes?"

"Go fetch Number 21and meet in my office." When she heard Fanny sigh in relief, she continued. "And our root beer supply needs to be restocked for the next four months…"

Fanny hung her head, shuffling her feet towards the staircase again. "Yes Numbuh 362…"

When Fanny shuffled off to do her duties, Rachel swiftly made her way towards the stairs, sliding down the rail to get to Nigel in half the time. Nigel watched her move, and smiled slightly as she leapt from the rail and land before him. Her long golden brown hair was tied back into a tight ponytail now, but other than that, she looked the exact same. "Nice to see you again, soldier."

Nigels smile widened and he gave her a small nod as he held out his hand. "It's been years, hasn't it? And it's good to see I'm not the only Teenager still in the Kids Next Door… coincidently, why are teenagers in the Kids Next Door. Rules state all must be decommissioned if over the age of thirteen…"

Rachel sighed as she took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I am well aware of the rules, Nigel, and we _were_ decommissioned." She turned him toward the other teenagers in the room, who still gawked at space. "All of us were decommissioned. But I remembered, and when Ab- our last Supreme leader was decommissioned, I walked right back, with Fanny behind me. And then we found you again, and we tracked your recent health records-" She held up her hand to keep him from protesting. "Unexplained migraines, memory lapses, they thought you were taking some sort of hallucinogen. I know the story. So, we knew you were one of us."

"Us?"

"Part of the teenage and adult Kids Next Door. Like Chad," Nigels fist clenched as memories of the blond teen flashed before his eyes, "and Maurice. The same thing happened to them as to us. They remembered what the decommissioning process should have completely erased."

"But Rachel, I wouldn't have remembered anything if Numbuh 86 hadn't taken me back to my tree house. And even with my memory back, there are still many pieces missing." He had stopped walking, crossing his arms again and raising his eyebrow at her. "Numbuh 86 refused to tell me anything, so I decided to come and talk to you. If anyone, you'd be the one to inform me of anything I need to know."

"What do you need to know?" Sighed Rachel, not facing him.

He growled. "I think you know…" When she didn't move, he grudgingly continued. "I can only remember up to age eleven. That's still three years of complete nothing."

Rachel smiled to herself. "Guess those Galactic guys have stronger technology…"

Nigel waved his arms in annoyance. "That's _exactly_ what 86 said!"

"And what else did miss loud mouth tell you?"

A pause passed between the two while Nigel thought back to the ride over, and then the mentioning of a new menace. "She said I had forgotten the skills you need me for, and then later said something about some horrible force worse than the other Adult villains…"

This caused Rachel to spin around, her eyes wide with what seemed like anger and alarm. Nigel stepped back a few paces, a little frightened as he practically saw the steam sprout of Rachel's head. She stood there for a minute; just staring as she thought about her next move, and slowly sank back to her normal posture as she cleared her throat. "Very well…" Came her response through gritted teeth as she marched forward, grabbing hold of Nigels wrist. "Tell your tagalongs to follow. I don't want them running around without a highly trained operative watching them…"

"Bu-but wait! Where are we going?" Nigel asked, trying to pull his wrist free from the Supreme Leaders Death Grip. "Wally, Kuki, Stay close!"

As the two turned away from the marvels of the universe, they curiously watched Nigel get dragged up the wide staircase before slowly making their way after them. When Rachel failed to answer his question, he asked yet again, gaining the release of his wrist.

"My office." Numbuh 362 replied flatly.

"What ever you do, make sure you stay close." She hissed at him as she slithered out of their ship. Hoagie watched her slowly shut the cars door, before scampering off into the shadows. Considering the safety of staying in the car compared to the safety of running around some tree house on the moon, Hoagie began to like where he was. Alone in his car and capable of a quick escape. Still, would he be able to leave Abigail to fend for herself?

Defeated, he sighed as he clambered out of his safe zone to follow some girl he met only a few hours ago. And if that wasn't enough, he was following her around an unknown location that could be crawling with mad scientists or even aliens. Hoagie stopped, considering his last thought. Mad scientists and Aliens? He looked back at the car, already wanting to jump back in and bunker down. As he turned back to follow Abigail, a shadow suddenly stood before him, and he fell back screaming before a hand reached out and clamped itself around his mouth.

"What is wrong with you? You tryin' to let everyone know we're here?" Abby spat at him, pulling him to his feet by the collar of his shirt. He still squealed slightly, shaking as he was pulled forward and shoved in front. Terrified, he tried to run behind Abby, but she grabbed his shirt and shoved him forward every time. "Oh no you don't. You stay where Abby can see you."

"Ho-how about I stay by the car?" He suggested, looking around the deserted landing dock nervously.

Abby grunted behind him, moving to his side and shoving him into the shadows. "What? You scared? No one's gonna hurt you here, Abby promises you that." She jumped from one shadow to the other, keeping her eyes peeled as she searched. Finally, she made it to the entrance of the hanger, and looked back at a half hidden Hoagie, who still looked about ready to wet himself. "Come on, the coast is clear."

With a deep breath, Hoagie bolted across the floor, biting back a scream as he raced in and out of lights. Shaking horribly now, he skidded to a stop before Abigail, smiling nervously as she slowly shook her head, forcing herself to not smile. Still smiling, she brought her finger to her lips as she reached out to open the door.

'_Slink_' the door slid open carelessly, and the two fell back against the wall, waiting for some cry of surprise, but was relieved to find none. Gathering her wits while Hoagie tried to convince himself he was only dreaming, Abigail jumped into the hall way, arms raised and ready for any fight, only to find an empty hall. She grabbed hold of Hoagies shirt again, and pulled him out with her before turning and running down the hall.

"Where are we going exactly?" Hoagie whispered, looking back to make sure no one was following.

"To Nigel."

"Okay, I figured that much, but where are we going to find him in th-" They both halted in their tracks as a tall boy stepped from around the corner, his weapon raised as he examined the two with his uncovered green eye.

"Well, what might we have here?" He said, with a surprised smile.

Hoagie screamed and ducked as Abby leapt straight into the air, landing hard on the operatives weapon, breaking it on impact. "We're here to-"

"Yes, that's great. Numbuh 911?" He looked past them, running a relaxed hand through his jet-black hair as if the two before him weren't worth his time. Abigail moved to strike him, but found her hands tied by yo-yo string before she could. Leaning closer to her, the newcomer smile. "I'd love to take you to our holding cells, but I have an errand to run with the Supreme Leader, so guess you'll have to join me."

"Over my dead body!" Abigail spat, pulling the yo-yo from the kids' hand before swinging it towards the black haired one. Knocking him to the side, she looked back at Hoagie and grabbed him with her hands still bound. "Come on!"

They bolted past the group of ten year olds, streaking through the next hallway. Hoagie panted, nervously looking over his shoulder every five seconds, and screamed as the black haired kid appeared from around the corner, gun poised. Gumballs were fired at them, hitting Hoagie in the back of neck and causing him to go down. Abby ducked and dodged the bullets, unaware of her fallen companion as she raced around the corner, disappearing into the nearest supply closet.

Here, she caught her breath, and realized she was down one person. Woth a few muttered curses, she moved closer to the door, gingerly pressing her ear against it while she worked on getting her hands free. About to unknot the blasted toy, the door suddenly rattled noisily, causing her to fall back and into an old bucket of mop water. Gagging, she prepared herself to fight whoever was outside the door, still stuck in the bucket.

"Ab-Abby?"

Sighing in relief, she kicked open the door to a horrified Hoagie, his hands also bound and being held up by the black haired boy, a gumball gun at Hoagies back. He gave her an apologetic smile before green-eyed wonder grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Now I'm going to be late. You are going to regret this, _teenager_."

_~See? The action I promised…though only a little. But yeah, this chapters not very exciting, I'm sure, but it gets better because now the whole plot is set and ready to unfold, so hooray! –Waves KND flag- Hope you liked it, Review it, please, and Chapter 6 should be coming to ya soon. ~_


	6. More Than Rights

_~So, this chapters a tad short and stuff, but it's focusing on just one point instead of like, three. Rachel and Nigel talk. Uhm…Oh yeah, Leave a review on what pairings you might wanna see later, cuz I'm not sure who is going with who –Besides Wally and Kuki…duh- And Numbuh 21 is not Patton. Just thought I put that in there.~_

"Jeeze, The last time I saw you… was when I had to kick you off of the Delightful Children Cake Case." Rachel laughed nervously as she led the group back to her office, simply trying to make small talk or ease the tension. She looked back at Nigel, who was watching the floor, his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.

Even so, he still grunted in response. "That's about the last thing I _remember_. Do you mind telling me what happened to me after that?"

"What make's you think I know?" She smiled slightly, pushing open the door to her very own office. Nigel threw her a look before entering the room, shortly followed by Wally and Kuki, who were lost in their own mindless conversation. Rachel watched the two enter the room with amusement, shaking her head as she remembered the rumors about the two years ago. "Help yourself to what ever you want. Soda in the fridge, Candy on the desk…" The pair quickly made their way to the gigantic bowl of candy Rachel kept full at all times, while Nigel sort of slunk to the back of the room, looking around at the different metals and trinkets that adorned the wall.

Nigel knew Rachel was one of the best Kids Next Door in the history of KND, all of the metals of honor and courage and smarts and so and so forth proved it. But something told him that there was a greater force somewhere else, and the more he thought about, the more he started to think Rachel didn't really know. Then again, she had mentioned some other decommissioning machine, along with Numbuh 86. Even with most of his memory back, the headaches began to ease back when he started thinking to hard. His hand slipped into his pocket to search for an extra aspirin he generally kept with him at all times.

Rachel sighed as she watched him walk around the room, squinting behind his sunglasses before taking a small pill from his pocket and popping it into his mouth. She scratched the back of her neck, knowing that the headaches were coming back. When Nigel made sure to not look her way, she shuffled over to her desk, taking a seat in her own personal chair, one of the softest in the whole world. "As soon as Numbuh 21 comes along and-"

"You won't believe what I found poking around on our Omega Deck, sir."

The bald Brit spun around on his heels at the sound of a new voice, and his heart stopped as he found beautiful brown eyes looking directly at him, hidden behind a mess of perfect black locks. Without even thinking, he moved forward, eyes alight with excitement. "Abby!"

Abigail shook Numbuh 21 off of her bound hands and raced over to Nigel, smiling widely as he wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the awkward placement of her own hands. Hoagie watched the two embrace and growled to himself, annoyed to be the one having to bring her all the way here and get none of the credit. Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly, already having enough love emotions from the Australian and the Asian. But there was an underlining emotion they both ignored.

"Numbuh 1!" She squealed, and Wally winked at Nigel, who easily ignored it. "You have no idea how much Numbuh 5 missed you!" Pulling away, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why didn't you tell Numbuh five about all this earlier?"

"I-I-I didn't know earlier! Why didn't _you_ tell _me_?" Nigel stuttered, holding her at arms length, still smiling. But before she could really say anything, he pulled her into another tight embrace. "Bu-but I remembered it all…well…most of it…any way, I went to the tree house, and then I remembered and I needed to come here because Numbuh 86 wouldn't… wait… why are you here?"

"She was looking for you." Hoagie sighed, squealing as Numbuh 21 shot him an anger look to keep quiet.

"Numbuh 2, is that you?" Nigel looked over Abigail's shoulder, seeing his close friend for the first time, and he gently let go of Abby, moving over to Hoagie and ordering Numbuh 21 to release him. With a raised eyebrow, the black haired operative released the teenager, smirking as he hit the floor. Shooting a look at the operative, Hoagie tried to get to his feet, his bound hands making it rather difficult. The bald teen smiled, reaching out and helping his former teammate to his feet. "It's only been a few hours, but it's really been years, old friend…"

Hoagie raised an eyebrow, looking at the others in the room for some sort of translation. But Wally and Kuki shrugged, while the dark blond girl shook her head, then Abby only smiled. Looking back at Nigel, he frowned. "Uh…okay…"

"How on earth did you guys get here?" He looked back at Abby, before shaking his head and returning to Hoagie. "Your car?"

"Looks like Numbuh 2 still got it." Abigail laughed, working on the knot around her wrists.

The two teenagers began talking once more, leaving an annoyed Rachel sitting behind her desk, and Hoagie leaning against the door frame, struggling to get his hand free. Wally and Kuki were having their own fun in the corner, rambling about something Rachel was sure she didn't want to hear. Finally fed up with wasting time, Rachel noisily got to her feet, scrapping her heavy chair against the floor as she did. "Yes, it's great to see you again, Abigail, but Nigel and I have some business to attend to. Numbuh 21, escort our guests to the Moon Base cafeteria and offer them what ever food we-"

"No, sir."

Rachel's head whipped around towards Nigel. "Pardon?"

"They're my team, they have the right to hear everything I do."

"Numbuh one, _they_ are not part of the Kids Next Door anymore. Numbuh 21, please take them." Rachel said through gritted teeth. Veteran or not, Nigel was still below her when in her territory. When he opened his mouth to retaliate, She quickly cut him off. "You can meet with them after I tell you what you need to know. This does not concern them, it concerns team leaders."

"Numbuh 362 I-"

"Relax, Numbuh 1. Numbuh 5 can watch the others. You do whatcha gotta do, baby." She winked at him, twirling the yo-yo in her now free hand. Her eyes moved to the other four, Hoagie still trying to get out of his ropes. "Come on you guys. Dinner's on me."

"Sweet!" Wally shouted, holding onto his girlfriends hand before darting out of the room after Numbuh 21. Nigel watched the group slowly leave the office before sighing and turning back to Rachel.

She didn't look pleased in the least, and Nigel felt the same way. "I haven't really seen my friends in years, Numbuh 362. Can you understand my reluctance to leave them?"

"Whether you want to leave them or not, you have to remember seventy-five percent of them aren't the friends you remember, Numbuh 1. Abigail had every right to stay, and she knew as much. But she chose to leave because she knows that you're here for a reason that doesn't involve her. There is a reason we have hunted you down and read your files. There is a reason we wanted you to remember your past in the KND." She slowly sank back into her seat, leaning back and closing her eyes. "Take a seat, Numbuh 1."

He did as he was told, pulling up on of the lawn chairs kept in the corner. Rachel remained in her chair with her eyes close.

"What exactly do you want to know, Numbuh 1?"

"What are you willing to tell me?" He countered, raising his eyebrow. A smirk played across his face, and Rachel shared the same look before slowly opening her eyes.

"I'm sure Abigail will tell you what happened after your eleventh birthday… So, that leaves me to tell you why the Kids Next Door were so keen to have you back." Nigel nodded slowly, while Rachel dug into a drawer. She slapped a folder onto the desk. "Several Kids have been reported missing, not only by our sectors, but by the adult authorities. We originally thought it to be the working of Father, trying to get the adults in our business, but Father's been out of our since he couldn't…" She stopped, clearing her throat and switching tracks. "Beside the point. We don't know who this kidnapper is, and we don't know what they want with kids or with us. But what ever or who ever this is, they don't like to be messed with.

"After our first few disappearances, we began putting trackers and hidden mikes on our operatives. The next time the kidnapper struck, we had three teams ready to be dispatched. But the kid disappeared from every radar we had. We spent days and nights searching, but couldn't pick up any kind of trace.

"Then, we picked up a reading from his body microphone." She pulled a small C.D from the file, looking at it with sad eyes. "We couldn't recognize the voice, but it had been a warning from the head of the operation. And we heard Numbuh 333 begging for help…" Her free hand balled into an angry fist, as she held it out to Nigel. "We were close to giving the recording to the police, but the only thing they do is get in our way…Adults are the last thing we want involved, and our two by four technology is way more advanced than theirs. So, we needed a highly trained operative that could infiltrate practically anything."

"And you thought of me?"

"No, we thought of Chad first, but he was still… miffed with you, and told us to go 'bother' you instead." A smirk returned to her face as she saw the dark expression cross over the pale face. "Nigel, this is serious business. It's not some man trying to make kids eat broccoli, it's not some old deranged cat lady. Kids are getting seriously hurt, and we can't do anything."

"Have you had any other contact besides this?" Nigel took the C.D.

"We have. Through the kidnapped operatives earpiece, we were able to bid some cease fire time to find what they wanted. We've spent a week and a half already, but everything we've offered, they have declined. They don't want food or drink or technology or research. I'm beginning to think they want operatives, though, because they have refused to give up our kids until they get what they want. And they threatened that if we didn't have what ever they want at the end of three weeks, the kidnappings will continue, and the currently missing might never be found again…" Shaking her head, she sank in her chair. "What are we supposed to tell the parents? Kids Next Door is a secret organization, and if the adults with the power discover us, there's no telling what will happen to our sectors and my Moon Base.

"But our first priority is to get the kids back safe and sound, but one, we don't know where they are, and two, we don't know who we're up against. That's why we want to send you in, because you have the best probability of finding the base and getting in and out alive. This is no Delightful Cake Walk, soldier."

There was a long pause, Rachel folding her hands and resting her head on them, while Nigel sat stiffly in his chair. So this was the mission Fanny refused to tell him, a mission that went beyond the rights of kids, but to their very lives. He was staring at the floor s he thought. Of course he would take the mission, but he wasn't sure if he could do it all on his own. He needed a skilled fighter, like Abigail, and someone who could make the best sleuthing gear, like Hoagie, and a great distraction, like Kuki, and finally someone who could put up one hell of a fight, like Wally. Looked like Sector V was coming back to life.

"When do we start?"

"We?" Rachel's head shot up, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Yes, _we_. You don't think I can take this entire mission on my own, do you, sir?"

"Numbuh 1, this is a very dangerous mission, more than half your team don't remember this place, and they're all way out of practice. This is-"

"We have about a week of practice time, and together we'll be able to get what ever we need in half the time. Thin about it, Rachel. You said I have the best probability of coming out of this alive, right? Well, let's say I have about an eighty percent chance. Each member on my team increase by five. So with all five of us on the mission, that's a one-hundred percent chance of living."

She frowned. "Congrats, Nigel. You've learned basic calculations."

"I refuse to take the case without my team."

"We don't have time to make the others remember everything, Nigel. You need to act now."

"Re-commission them." Nigel growled.

"The effects are only temporary. And even if they are re-commissioned, the chances of them remembering the skills needed is slim to none."

"Hoagie built a flying car last week, Wally took out half of the seniors in our school, Kuki…well, she's still Kuki. They know who they are, they just need a little shock to help them." Nigel was not going to lose this argument.

"Bu-"

"I won't do this without them, Rachel. I need them."

Silence fell, Nigel holding her gaze and silently pleading for her to understand. Slowly, she looked down, muttering under her breath before getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Nigel got to his feet as well, his heart stopping.

"To find Fanny…and find the Code Module." She looked back at Nigel and gave him a small smile. "You're still stubborn, Soldier…" The smile slowly faded. "I just hope you aren't still reckless…"

_~Sorry this chapter is so short, but that's how I wanted to end it. Anyway, the whole plot has unfolded, and next chapter will be longer, I promise! Review please and thank you, and tell me if ya liked it or if ya hated it. But don't just say you hate it, cuz I wanna know why so I can fix it or somethin' ya know? Ta._


	7. Mind Shock and Fake Drama

_~Here's Chapter seven. Read it and enjoy it, and tell me whatcha think, eh?_

_AAAAAAAAND…Still don't own Kids Next Door…But I decided I really like the name Nigel. Whatever. ~_

~Moon Base Cafeteria~

"Oh great, just great. You found him, then you left him." Hoagie growled at her, his finger aimlessly tracing the old splintered wood. She sat across from him, her food untouched while she stared at the entranceway. Numbuh 21 sat at the end of the table, having a conversation about the best pro-wrestler with Wally while Kuki gladly hung over her boyfriends shoulder. "I'm still exceedingly confused, here. Do you mind filling in the gaps for me?" He was being sarcastic, but there were a few ounces of truth.

Abigail simply shook her head, putting her head on the table. "Why don't you remember? You were the best they had!"

"I was the best _who_ had?" He huffed, taking a bite out of the meatball sandwich.

"_They_ had, fool!" Reaching out, she caught hold of his collar and swept her arm around the room, gesturing to the kids scattered about. "You made a brainwashing reverse device out of a shampoo bottle! You made hot chili pepper a type of rocket fuel! How can you not remember any of this?"

But Hoagie only stared at her as if she was beyond crazy. "Uh-huh… I'm just going to move now…" As he stood up to make a run for it, he collided head long with Nigel, knocking the wind out of the bald Teenager, and causing the brown haired teen back into his own seat. "Nigel!" He began, getting to his feet once more. "Good. Now you can keep your crazy girlfriend company while I go home and pretend that this never happened." However, as he spun around Nigel, he knocked directly into Rachel, who quickly grabbed his wrist and twirled behind him, holding his arm to his back.

"Don't make another move." She hissed.

"I'm sorry! I was just leaving and I-I-I-I-I didn't mean to hit you!" Rachel narrowed her eyes, looking over at an amused Nigel and an embarrassed Abigail. After a low growl, the supreme leader let the other teen go, smoothing out her ratted orange jacket.

"My apologies, Numbuh 2. It's just a knee jerk reaction." She laughed lightly, before Nigel raised his eyebrow, and she coughed into her palm. "Right. I have something for you." Wally and Kuki had looked over at this point, and Rachel waved them over as well. "I have something for all three of you. Follow me."

As Abigail moved to follow, Nigel grabbed her shoulder and gently shook his head in a firm no. "They have a few things to sort out." He said with a sly smile. "We'll join them in a few minutes."

"Funny how I move back to this place, and the very same day, I'm back in the Kids Next Door." She sighed, watching the group exit the cafeteria. Nigel slowly sat across from her, his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose while he rubbed the sides of his head. "Glasses don't fit ya anymore?"

He laughed as he took the shades from his face, rubbing his eyes gently. "Remind me to get a bigger pair when we get back." Setting them down on the table, he looked up at Abby once more. "What happened to your hat?"

A smile crossed her face as she pulled it from her bag. "You don't think I'd ever leave home without it, do ya?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd remember. I didn't remember these things." Rubbing his eyes, he gestured to his shades. "Damn it. My contacts are all screwed up now." He sighed, reaching into his breast pocket. While he took the contacts out of his eyes, Abigail rested her head on her hands, just watching him. It had been so long since she had seen him, and it felt almost unreal to have him sitting directly in front of her. "And may I ask why you are staring at me?" Even without his eyesight, he was still well aware of his surroundings.

"Numbuh five was just thinking how she might have remembered ya if you were wearin' your glasses earlier."

"And maybe if you had had your hat on, I might have remembered and wouldn't have to go on this whole adventure." He muttered, placing the thin-rimmed designer glasses over his handsome blue eyes. The smirk had returned to his face as he glanced at the root beer bottle on Abigail's tray. "Boylan Vintage Soda Pop. The best of the best…and sweetened with-"

"Pure cane sugar. Numbuh five knows." She took a small sip from it before holding it out to Nigel. "The only kind she drinks."

"Well, she has great taste." The smirk became a smile as he took a sip. "Nigel still wonders why Abby talks in third person."

"Abby wants to know why Nigel has to know everything."

"It's part of being a leader." He tapped the glasses and winked at her. Then he paused, suddenly getting serious. "Wait. What happened to me?"

'Whatcha mean?"

"After the scavenger hunt. That's all I can remember. Rachel and Fanny kept saying something about better technology than our two by four stuff, and then Rachel said you could tell me what had happened."

She frowned, looking down at the table as she toyed with her Root Beer bottle. "You were promoted, I guess you can call it that. But you left Sector V…"

"I what?"

"You left Sector V because the entire universe needed you. Apparently the Galactic Kids Next Door only choose one operative from every planet, and they choose the best one. Well, the best operative just happened to be you…" She laughed sadly. "Numbuh one was number one…But you left, we all knew you would, and you made me leader of Sector V. Father attacked us like crazy, and Rachel forced us to tell her where you went. She wasn't happy that you left without saying goodbye. Numbuh 74.239 said you couldn't come back, but we all hoped you would. I mean, you were never the kind to leave and not visit. But we never heard from you…Even when Rachel stepped down from Supreme Leader and I was the last person to be 'it', we couldn't contact you… The whole team waited for you to return in some dramatic way, but one by one, we all reached thirteen and you weren't back…" Nigel frowned as well, gently putting his hand over hers. "So, everyone was decommissioned, and you were forgotten. But Abby always felt somethin' was missing."

There was a long pause after that, and Nigel just stared at her, feeling sorry for even bringing it up. Finally, he spoke. "Abby, I'm sorry…I didn't know it'd be…" What would you call it? Upsetting?

She shook her head and grabbed onto his hand, blinking away tears as that night replayed itself in her mind. "It don't matter any more, though… Because here you are."

Nigel smiled again, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Yeah… here I am… And I am not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Abby sure as hell hopes not. The whole team cried for days after…You aren't allowed to do that anymore, you here?"

They laughed together, before Nigel slowly let go of her hand, getting to his feet. "I got the message, Abby…" He nodded towards the entranceway. "Ready to go see the others again?"

"I saw them two years ago…are _you_ ready to see them again?"

Grabbing the sunglasses from the table, Nigel nodded. "I've been ready."

~Commissioning Room ~

"This is not what we planned." He hissed in her ear, watching as the other three teens were strapped to their respective seat to begin the re-commissioning process. Hoagie was throwing a fit, Wally was cursing at the kids around him and Kuki was just sitting by and looking around in marvel. Rachel groaned, rubbing her temples again.

"Nigel was being stubborn. Besides, he knows what's best for the Kids Next Door…Best operative on the planet, and all." She rolled her eyes before giving Fanny the go ahead to begin the procedure. "He's usually right, anyway."

Numbuh 21 grunted a response before turning away and stalking out of the room. Hoagie looked around frantically, shaking furiously as he saw the disco balls ignite with electricity. Eyes wide with alarm, Wally cursed at the top of lungs before trying to pull at his restraints, shouting to his girlfriend that everything was going to be okay. But Kuki was completely at ease, watching the disco balls with amazed eyes. "Ooooo! Light show!"

"Kuki!" Wally screeched, just before the electricity shot down from its place on the party globe, hitting the three below. Wincing slightly, Rachel turned away from the machine, finding Nigel and Abby coming through the doorway. As soon as they walked in, they ducked away from the blinding light as the machine reached maximum power.

An earsplitting zap noise cracked through the room, followed by the sudden disappearance of the lightning bolts. Rachel sighed, turning around to find Fanny already making her way around the seats, unlocking the operatives. Slowly, Nigel and Abby opened their eyes, letting them adjust to the suddenly dim light. Hoagie, Wally and Kuki were getting to their feet, holding their heads before looking up and Nigel.

"Uhm…did it work?" He asked, looking over at the supreme leader, who held up three fingers, slowly putting them down one by one. As soon as the third finger was down, Kuki collided with Nigel, crying and screeching and squealing all at once, shortly followed by Hoagie.

"Numbuh 1! It's you! You came back!" They said all at once, forcing the bald teenager to the floor. Kuki kissed the top of his head again while Hoagie pulled him into a giant bear hug, but Wally sort of stayed out of the pile, pacing and waiting for his chance.

"Yes…Yes, I know, I…Okay, okay, okay guys." He forced Hoagie off of him, letting Kuki fall off as well before getting to his feet. But before he could brush off the dust from his shirt, Wally landed right beside him, punching him hard on the arm. "Ouch! What the hell, Wallabee?"

"_That_ was for ditching us for cruddy Canada!" Spat the Australian, before kicking his leaders shin bone. "And that was for not telling me we were best buds back when we was freshmen."

Rubbing his arm, he glared down at the blond haired teen, before slowly smiling. "Yeah… I deserved the first one…" His arm shot out, hand connecting with the back of Wallys head. "And I didn't know we were close until an hour ago."

Hoagie stepped up once Wally laughed and walked away rubbing the back of his head. "Gee, Numbuh one. And to think I missed you so much, But I've known you for a couple of years already." He laughed, before turning to Abigail. "Sorry for calling you crazy, Numbuh 5…but can you blame me? This all sounds pretty crazy if you think about it."

"I knew all along!" Kuki sang, dancing around Nigel and Hoagie, smiling again before bounding to Wallys side. "Why didn't you tell me you liked me before, Numbuh 4?"

Wally coughed nervously, looking down at his feet. "Because I-I-I… I didn't." HE tried to ignore the annoyed glances exchanged between Hoagie, Nigel and Abby. "I mean…you were just some girl I played with…I-I-I-uhm… Soo-hoo-hoo, Numbuh 1, what stupid adult to we gets to pound first?"

"None, right now, Numbuh 4." Rachel said, stepping forward and closer to the group. "It's getting late, and the kids have a curfew to keep to, so we'll have to start shutting down here for the night." She handed Nigel the file she had taken from her desk earlier. "You can look through this tonight, and I can fill them in on the mission tomorrow after school. We'll be able to stay out later since it's Friday, and we actually have the Delightfully Dreadful Show I'm sure you all would like to see. Weapons and new two by four tech stuff will also be given for you to use."

"I'll fill them in when we get back to the tree house." Nigel said, already flipping open the file and sifting through the various papers.

But Rachel shook her head. "You can't use the tree house. Father is after your throat, Nigel, and I'm sure the Teen Ninjas are out to look for you lot as recruits as well. I'm surprised you all managed to escape their radar for so long. But I want you all to stay out of sector V tree house until Numbuh 21 and his squad can have thorough look. I don't want to pull any more punches than necessary. Sector V, dismissed."

A rush of excitement coursed its way through the entire team when she referred to them as Sector V yet again. Wally and Hoagie exchanged cocky grins while Abigail and Kuki smiled. Nigel stood in front of them all, like it always should have been. They nodded their leader a farewell before Nigel turned back towards them. "Alright team…The Scamper's on the main loading deck, but I'm guessing Numbuh 2 brought his own car." He paused, pointing at Hoagie. "Which reminds me, I need blue prints to my old car. It was sort of destroyed on one of my last missions here." Turning back to the entire group, he continued. "The Scamper needs fuel, so we'll have to wait for a few minutes, but Numbuh 4, you can ride back with Numbuh 2. Numbuhs 3 and 5 you're with me. If you guys want to go ahead and leave now, we can meet up at the old playground."

"Playground? We might be in the Kids Next Door, Numbuh 1, but we aren't runts anymore." Wally huffed, crossing his arms.

"Maybe not, but the Playground is strictly Kids Next Door grounds. Teen Ninjas can't set foot on it, just like KND operatives can't set foot on the local mini-mart parking lots. Either way, the plan can always change, and if something comes up, call me on my cell. Numbuh 2 should have it. Got it?" The other four nodded, gaining a small nod from their leader. "Alright team, lets move out!"

~Supreme Leader Office of Supremacy~

Rachel growled as she turned to pace the length of her office yet again. She had gotten what she wanted, but then what she didn't want as well. Nigel was her main concern, and she ecstatic to have him back in the Kids Next Door. But now she had a whole Sector again, meaning four extra people she had to worry about. Yes, Nigel was a good leader, and she knew the sector was in good hands, but if something were to go horribly wrong, it would all be on her head. The stress of the missing kids was enough on her, but now all of this as well? She only wanted Nigel on the mission because she knew he'd pull out alive. She didn't want the others on the mission because it was too risky even for teenagers. Still, it was too late to change any of that, and she sighed as she turned to walk the length of her office once more.

"You don't seem very happy." Numbuh 21's voice said, making the Supreme Leader jump and whirl towards him with fists ready for a fight. But seeing him standing in her doorway, she slowly relaxed, letting out a small breath of relief. "Sorry to startle you, sir."

She shook her head, finally stopping her pacing as she sank into her chair. "It's not your fault. I should have been more alert."

He stepped further into the room, his arms held behind his back. "It seems to me that Nigel knows how to get to your head."

"He doesn't know. He's blind to feelings." She muttered as she slouched in her chair. "It's just how he works. He's hard to understand, but easy to follow." When Numbuh 21 grunted and shook his head, Rachel smiled. "Yeah, it doesn't make sense, I know."

"Why are you so drawn to this boy?"

"Drawn to him? What makes you say that?"

"Please Rachel. I've been around the block a few times." He smiled down at her, leaning in towards her. "I am older than you." His pale hand closed around the chain on his neck, and he pulled the small bottle to her sight. "Anyway, I know a crush when I see one…And I see a pretty big one."

"The feelings are irrelevant. I have my priorities, and they don't include a relationship, much like him." She abruptly got to her feet, looking at the bottle. "You've been second in command for almost a year now. Will you tell me what's in that thing?"

"Will you tell me why you're avoiding the fact you 'like' Nigel?"

"This conversation is over, 21."

"But-"

"Over. You are dismissed." Without even looking at him again, Rachel stalked over to her window, watching as the sector V scamper took off into space, shortly followed by Numbuh 2's car.

Numbuh 21 stood where he was for a moment, just watching her before nodding slightly and backing out of the room. "This is far from over, Rachel." He muttered under his breath, before making his way through the halls of the Moon Base.

~ Scamper~

"Tell us, tell us, tell us, tell us!" She squealed in his ear, already making him regret sending Numbuh 4 with Numbuh 2. He really didn't need to, but he figured the two needed time to catch up…and he had thought Numbuh 5 would have occupied Numbuh 3. Unfortunately, he had been wrong. "Come on Numbuh 1! Tell us about space and aliens and planets and stuff!"

He buried his face in his palm. "Listen, Numbuh 3, I don't remember that much. I only know I went into space…I don't know what I did!"

"Galactic machines tougher than two by four, huh?" Numbuh 5 asked, leaning back in her own chair, her arm hanging over the edge.

Nigel flailed his arms in sheer annoyance. "Again?" He squirmed in his captains seat, the Scamper on Auto Pilot. "Damn. Remind me to tell Numbuh 2 to find bigger seats for all of our ships…this is starting to get uncomfortable…"

"Numbuh 5 hears ya, baby."

Numbuh 3 frowned at Numbuh 1, sitting quite contently in her own chair. "The chairs are just fine, Numbuh 1. It's just your fat butt that doesn't fit in them any more!" She broke into a giggle fit, while Numbuh five ducked her head and began laughing as well. The look Nigel shot them only created more laughter.

"Oh come on guys! My backside is not big!" Protested the bald teenager, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting again. "It's just muscle…"

Now the laughter doubled as the Scamper re-entered the atmosphere, and Nigel groaned, sinking into his chair. As much as he loved having his old friends back, he had to say he didn't miss their constant teasing. Just as he opened his mouth to order silence, the alarm went off, cutting off the girls.

"Numbuh 5, what's going on?"

"Our landing gear's been taken off." She said, her fingers moving across her own panel. "But the radar says we don't have any enemy around us."

"That radar hasn't seen the mechanic in three years." Nigel retorted, jumping to his feet and racing to the pilots seat. "Numbuh 3, prep the weapons and see if we can use any of them." He pulled back on the handles as hard as he could, sending the entire ship into a vertical climb.

~Numbuh 2's car~

"I told you not to hit that button!" Hoagie screamed as they watched the Scamper suddenly pull into a ninety-degree climb. "You just took off the only landing gear on the scamper!"

Numbuh 4 huffed before crossing his arms angrily and sitting back in the passenger seat. "Well, if ya have a big red button that says 'don't push' people are going to push it!"

~Scamper~

"I don't think the guns are gonna work, Numbuh 1…" Kuki said, looking nervously towards the British teen. "The whole screen's flashing red…"

Nigel pulled the handles to the right, bringing the scamper out of the climb. He was able to drown everything out and only focus on landing safely, his eyes searching for some patch of grass or field. Abigail cursed and muttered something about a genius, but he didn't register anything. "Every one sit down and hold onto something." Reaching across the control board, he lowered the rockets power to twenty five percent, decreasing their speed substantially, before directing the entire ship towards a nearby park. Seeing his opportunity, he set a course for a landing just beyond the park and jumped over the chair, running to the back of the ship. "Take these," He threw a KND backpack to the two girls. "And as soon as I say go, you jump."

"Where'd these come from?" Numbuh 5 asked, putting the small pack on her back.

"I took them from the Moon Base, just in case something happened. Turns out something did. Give me your phones and any other electronics you don't want getting wet." Confused, the girls obeyed and handed over their devices. "You're going to jump over the Lake. I don't know if these parachutes will hold us anymore, but if they do, you should be able to direct them towards dry ground. I'm going to land the Scamper and make my way towards you, meet at the playground, understood?"

"You mean you're gonna crash?" Abby screeched, and Nigel only smiled before opening the door.

"No, I'm going land her as gently as possible…" When she hesitated to leave, he frowned at her, forcing the sunglasses into her hands. "I'm coming back for those, so don't worry. Now go!" He gave the two a firm shove, sending them into the air and leaving him alone with the scamper. With a shrug he, he moved back to his captains chair and picked up his own bag, putting the devices inside. He wasn't exactly worried with the crash landing. It wouldn't be his first and he was sure it wouldn't be his last.

"Emergency landing in twenty seconds."

Whistling to himself, he reduced the engines power to twenty percent, then to fifteen percent. He also reminded himself to thank Numbuh 4 for firing at them and getting the girls to shut up. A smirk crossed his face as the Scamper crashed through the treetops. Everything was going according to one of several plans. But that's just how Nigel Uno works.

_~YES! Chapter seven is el complete-o! The last scene was kinda spontaneous and I just threw it in there because I really don't know why. I mean, I can see Wally pushing a button that says 'don't push' and we all know how Numbuh 1 just seems to see EVERYTHING. Why else would he be BEST OPERATIVE on the planet?_

_Any way, Review yadda-yadda-yadda, Tell me if you loved it, hated it, what's awesome about it, what's so horrible, you know how it is.. with the words and the commas and letter- awww- you know what I'm talking about! AND Chapter eight should be up by Monday!~_


	8. A Glimpse into the Dark

_~Chapter 8 is here and ready to be read and reviewed. I know it's a little shorter than the others, but on the bright side, my whole story is 46 pages in total! And it's not really half way there yet! Oh, I'm so excited. Because, really, all of this is sorta like a surprise for me too, because I don't know what's going to happen until I get to the point where something had to happen. But I know the whole story line and such, and I actually have the very ending all planed out in my head, and I might just type it before I leave, but I won't put it up until it's time to, ya know? Read and Review, and I hope you liked it!~_

~…Gallagher Field Park…~

"Wait a minute…" Abigail paused her rolling and looked toward where the Scamper had disappeared beyond the trees. She looked furiously down at the parachute, which had actually worked for the two girls, then up at Kuki. "The scamper never had Landing Gear."

"Well of course it doesn't. Some one shot it off!" Squealed Numbuh 3 as she pushed her parachute back into the KND bag. Wally and Hoagie were making their way towards the girls, and just by the way Numbuh 2 avoided eye contact, she knew Numbuh one had planned something behind her back. Her hands clenched into fists as she stuffed the homemade parachute away. Nigel certainly had his ways of getting someone's attention.

Numbuh 2 smiled nervously at the two, waving. "Hey guys…Sorry about that. Heh-heh. Guess I should have disabled the guns." A look was fired at Wally, who simply grunted in his defense. But Abigail saw right through the act, as se stalked up to the seventeen year old, threatening to punch him out.

"You better tell Numbuh 5 why the hell Numbuh 1 pulled a stunt like that before I-"

"Well done, team. Looks like the girls haven't lost their touch." Nigel's voice caused everyone to spin around, the bald teen emerging from the wooded area, unscratched and completely at ease. He pulled the various electronics out of his pockets and handed them to their respective owners before looking over at the boys. "Keep on your toes, you never know when your test is."

A high five was exchanged between the two boys, while Abigail stared, dumbfounded, at her leader. "What sort of test was that?"

"One to test your loyalty and composure. You both listened to my command, and you both kept your head on." Nigel readjusted the straps of his own bag as he spoke. "Rachel suggested I do something to make sure you haven't abandoned your old teachings." He held out his hand to Abigail without looking at her. "My glasses back, please. I told you I'd be back for them."

Once his sunglasses were returned, he handed two bags to the boys, before nodding his head to the playground and moving the entire group towards it. It was nearly deserted, being a Thursday and homework remained to be done by the poor elementary schoolers. Only a few kids ran around, one sitting alone on the swings and watching the others. Immediately, Nigel recognized the common KND formation. He held out his hand, slowing to a stop.

"Kids Next Door Operatives. Looks like they got stuck with Teen patrol." He began to make his way towards the far end of the Playground. "I doubt the message of our return has made it to them yet. Just keep beyond the jungle gym and don't make any moves toward them. If we don't mess with them, they don't mess with us."

The group behind him slowly nodded in agreement, and Nigel ordered for Kuki and Hoagie to flank Wally and keep him in his place. Abigail moved to the front beside him. "What's the plan, Numbuh 1?"

"I tell you the mission… then we all go home until tomorrow."

"What about the tree house."

He looked down at the ground. "Numbuh 362 told us to stay away until Numbuh 21 can steak it out. It's the perfect place for a horde of underground villains to start a new lair…They always take the abandoned places." Looking over at her, he winked again, before fixing his glasses back into place. "And remind me to get my extra pair of contacts."

"Numbuh 5 thinks you look good in glasses." She smiled over at him, catching the ghost of a smirk. But he didn't really smile, his eyes shifting towards the KND operatives running through the playground, watching them closely. "You don't think they'll actually attack us, do ya?"

"If they have enough incentive."

"Do they?"

"With Number 4 with us, they have more than enough." His pace suddenly quickened. "We have KND on our bags though, so they should at least try and talk before they attack." He shook his head, setting his bag on the merry-go-round and turning back to his team. "This can be our new meeting area. Exchange phone numbers, and if something might happen, just call a meeting here. Codenames can be thought about later during school or something. What we need to talk about is the reason we're here. There's been a major problem in the Kids Next Door for the past few months…"

~…Location Unknown…~

She ran blindly through the halls, not even knowing where she was going, but letting her small legs take her as far away as she could. Her eyes darted left and right, and she glanced behind her at least several times a minute. Blood stained her long, baggy jeans, while her shirt was torn and filthy, and she looked as if she hadn't showered for weeks. But her appearance didn't matter to her, for her first priority, and truly her only, was to get out of where ever she was.

"No!" She groaned as she found yet another dead-end, causing her to spin around and dart back the way she had come, tears of frustration and defeat burning her eyes. This couldn't be happening to her, this wasn't what she had signed up for and she wasn't trained to deal with it. Hands balled into fists, she rounded the corner at a full-blown sprint, losing her footing on the slimy concrete floor and sending her into the far wall. Now tears ran down her face as her right arm exploded in pain, and she sank to the floor, shivering.

An earsplitting screech shot through the hallways, and she cringed, holding her ears to drown out the noise. "If you tell us what we want, we will let you go. So why not just talk, and save yourself the stain remover?"

The twelve-year-old girl looked upward, where the bright fluorescents shone down on her and the maze she ran. "I don't know what you're talking about!" She sobbed, holding her scratched and bleeding leg. "Let me go!"

There was a sigh, echoing eerily through the maze, and the young girl looked around, her pale green eyes shifting in and out of focus. A large figure lumbered towards her, and she gasped, shuffling back against the wall. She attempted to scream, but stopped since she knew no one would hear her, and no one would come to her rescue. The voice from above returned. "Very well, send her back with the others."

As the girl was taken and tied, two figures stood in a room that hung far above the torturing maze, watching her. The first set the intercom microphone back in its place before stalking to the other end of the room. It examined the wall of maps, thumbtacks and string. But the target it wished to find was still well hidden. While the first growled and tore down three tacks, the second stepped closer.

"They might be telling the truth, your honor."

"They're all part of that filthy organization. They have to know."

"But she was our oldest, and even so, she must have been around-"

The first spun around, pointing the tack at the second. "Yes, I know. Seven. But legends never die, even if the main character does… But he's not dead. I know that much… They know something…at least they know whom we're asking for. They're all stubborn though!" A sigh echoed through the room as the figure rubbed its head. "Just. Like. Him. We need more kids. Some who might be closer to him…maybe even start hunting down some of the teenage operatives."

"You've promised three weeks of silence, sir."

"Yes, but we don't have to keep our end of the bargain if they won't…"

Two pairs of eyes fell on a photo of their target, his gray-blue eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, a smirk plastered to his face and his head hairless.

~…Holding Cell… Location Unknown…~

"What's taking her so long?" He growled, pacing the length of the cell, before sitting on the far wall beside his fellow operatives. "Numbuh 8-30 Sharp is never late… I think something might have happened to her."

The smaller boy that sat to his left looked up at him with eyes as wide as saucers. "Something happened to Sammy?" Immediately, the older operative felt bad for worrying the smaller ones, but it was hard for him to not speak his mind. Still, Numbuh 101 smiled slightly, and patted the younger ones head.

"Nah, of course not, Numbuh 308. Your sister's on her way now, and I bet she even has the-"

"Shut up, Numbuh 4 double 1." A ten-year-old girl hissed, her ear pressed against the door. She waved for everyone to get back. "Some one's coming."

An entire group of children, all ranging from age six to twelve, slid back against the farthest wall, watching the door like starving wolves. The light overhead flickered on, and a fist pounded on the door as a warning for every one to be ready. Slowly, it creaked open, revealing a battered Numbuh 8-30 Sharp, her golden hair even more knotted than when she had left, and a fresh wound leaking blood onto her already stained jeans. A few gasps were heard from the group, while others shuddered and looked away. She was shoved further into the room, and the door was slammed shut once more, the bright overhead light flickering off.

One by one, the fallen operative was approached, until she was completely surrounded by the group of curious and slightly hopeful faces. In the dim light of the single candle, Numbuh 8-30 Sharp smiled weakly, digging an old rugged key from her pocket. Relief flooded through the room, and Numbuh 4 double 1 moved forward, closely followed by the ten-year-old look out also known as Numbuh 132.

"Operation Get Our Rumps Out of This Place has begun." Numbuh 4 double 1 whispered. "We all know the plan, right? First thing tomorrow morning…"

~…Gallagher Field Park…~

As soon as he had finished his briefing, the entire team sat around him, silent and just staring. Nigel nervously scratched his head, waiting for someone to begin the rapid fire of questions. After a minute or two passed, the group slowly began to move again, Wally being the first to open his mouth.

'So we're tryin' to hunt down some kidnappers?" He looked at the group around him before looking at Numbuh 1. "Isn't that a job for the police?"

"But the kidnapper has only taken Kids Next Door Operatives. Which means they must want something with them. The only problem is that Rachel has no clue what they might want." Numbuh 5 said, rubbing her chin in thought.

"My guess is they want to know something about the KND, but the operatives either don't know or they won't talk. So the head honcho went straight to Numbuh 362 and tried to get her to talk, but Rachel had no clue what they were asking for. It might have been in some sort of message form or maybe they just expected Rachel to know everything." Numbuh 1 took out the small C.D, examining it in the light of the setting sun. "They gave them a warning…I'm not sure what they said yet, but I'll have to listen to it tonight."

"Maybe it's Father, looking for you again." Numbuh 3 chirped, looking at her leader sideways. "He was really pissed when you disappeared and all. Someone might have told him you came back."

Nigel shook his head. "Unlikely. Rachel kept my whereabouts a secret from every adult. She's also made sure Father's been nice and quiet, so we shouldn't have any problems with him. I think this might be some one new and never seen before, making it easy to keep off the Radar and search parties."

"But we can't just over look Father, or any other adult villain for that matter." Numbuh 2 added, sitting back against the closest slide.

"Precisely, Numbuh 2." Nigel looked over at Abigail. "I want you to write down every villain we've ever fought and send that to Numbuh 2 tonight. From there, Numbuh 2 will decide which villains can be easily ruled out, like Spankulot. I highly doubt he'd have reason to kidnap kids. As soon as he's shortened the list, it will be sent to Numbuhs 3 and 4, and you two will research all you can about those left on the list. Once you have that, keep it and we'll discuss it tomorrow at lunch." He glanced down at his wristwatch and sighed. "It's getting close to eight, and my mum will kill me if I'm not back by dinner."

Numbuh 2 smiled. "Jeeze, you went into space for three years, and now she's worried about you not making it to dinner?"

With a shrug, Nigel got to his feet, bag and folder in hand. "She'd rather keep me in close range nowadays. If anyone needs a ride home, I'll be glad to take them home in the scamper."

"Nah, Numbuh 2 lives right down the street from me. All that time, you never thought to come and say hi?" Numbuh 4 punched his friend in the arm, the cocky smile returning to his face. "Kuki lives a few houses down from me, so I can walk her home." His free hand made its way into hers, turning his bright blue eyes up to Nigel. "Looks like you get to take your new-"

The look he had received from the brit stopped his sentence dead, and the Australian cleared his throat before turning towards Hoagie.

"Yeah, so, Numbuh 2, send that list over when you're done, right?"

Once the first three made their way towards the parking lot, Nigel slowly made his way towards the swing set, realizing that the other KND operatives had left. Abigail followed him, her bag slung lazily over her shoulder as she sat in the swing to his left.

"Do you need a ride home, Numbuh 5?"

He had his eyes trained on the mulch before him, while he slowly moved to and fro. But she shook her head, also moving the swing ever so slightly. "Nah. Abby only lives ten minutes up the road. What about you?"

"Couple minutes from here. I'll just leave the Scamper and take it to the tree house first thing tomorrow." His voice was just above a whisper, silently telling Abby that he was deep in thought. She couldn't blame him, though. Having to save a handful of kids from some psychopath was a lot for a teenager's plate. But for Nigel, his plate was still making it's way through the appetizers. "When I woke up this morning, I was just Nigel Uno, the only bald kid in school. No life, no excitement, just a bunch of headaches and silence. Now, I'm Numbuh 1 of the Kids Next Door again, the teenager that's going to save some kids life." He looked over at her. "The bald kid that finally has his friends back."

They held each other's gaze for a moment longer, before Abigail forced her self to look away, causing Nigel to slowly look away as well. "You going to miss being normal?"

A shrug came from the gray-blue eyed brit. "I wasn't really normal when I woke up, now was I?" The trademark smirk spread across his face, and she had to laugh.

"Nope, guess you weren't."

Silence fell, as the two sat side by side, just enjoying the others company. Nigel swung slowly, his mind focused on the mission he was assigned, while Abigail just sat on the swing, her mind wandering in and out of the Kids Next Door. By the time either one moved, the sun was just beginning to set behind them. Sighing, Nigel glanced over his shoulder at the setting sun before getting to his feet. He looked down at her, a smile playing across his face.

"Come on, Numbuh 5. I'll walk you home."

_~Authors note::: Yay! Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 5 stuff. There's gonna be more of that in the next chapter, but it won't have a very thrilling end next chapter. Uhm…Lets see, I don't know how long I'm going to make next chapter. Any way, Read, Review, Till next time.~_


	9. Fun and Games

_~ Authors Note: Here be chapter nine for ya… OH! And I'm going to have an Abby and Nigel short up sometime soon, so Chapter ten might be delayed for a while…Any way, read, review, enjoy… And I still don't own any of these guys…But I wouldn't mind having my very own Nigel…WAIT! I do!… But he's not British… Damn.~_

~…Fitzpatrick Drive…~

"Remember the time you sent Numbuh 2 over to sector A cuz we thought the Splinter Cell was after him? Man, he didn't talk to you for a whole week after that!" Abigail laughed so hard, tears formed at the corner of her eyes as she reminisced so many old missions the team had endured. Beside her, Nigel was struggling to keep himself from laughing, his sides already hurting from all of the tales.

"Wait-wait-wait. What about the time Numbuh 4 ate something with coconut, and his lips were bigger than his face!" He paused his walking to bend over laughing. "And then we all thought it was because he had gotten cooties."

Abigail shook her head, giggling as they began walking again. "No, all of you guys thought she had cooties. Numbuh 5 never believed in that junk." Her eyes looked Nigel up and down. He had grown taller than her these past few years, and he still remained as slim as he always had been. Even when they were just joking around, she could see his eyes sweep around the street, looking out for anything that could be potentially dangerous. Once he did it for the thirteenth time, she smacked him with her red hat. "Stop looking around, like that. Ain't nobody gonna bother a couple of teens."

Rubbing his cheek, Nigel still glanced over his shoulder. "Maybe not, but it's just a habit of mine…"

After a moment of silent walking, Abigail looked over at him again. "You still hate the beach, Numbuh 1?"

"Immensely." His voice sounded like acid every time he had to mention the beach, even after he had come back from the Galactic Kids Next Door and undergone decommissioning. The pure hatred for the beach never rested, and he constantly ignored everyone trying to get him to take a trip anywhere oceanic. "Nothing but sand and water and more sand and irritating and-and-and…I just don't!"

"Good." She grunted. "We can still force ya to the beach if we think you're working too much."

"You sound like my mother." Scoffed the British sixteen-year-old. "Every summer, it's the same thing. 'Nigel, get your trunks, we're going to the shore.' And then I say 'No.' And she says 'no arguing with me, Nigel Uno. You are coming and that's final.' And a again, I say 'no.' The beach just…it isn't my scene, you know?"

"Then what is your scene?"

He stopped his walking, looking towards the tree house, just visible in the distance. "James Bond… But without the sexual content." A smile played across his face once more, as he looked over at a giggling Abigail. The sun had just set, the last golden rays illuminating her face, and the way she smiled at him sent heavenly shivers down his back. Still, as Nigel Uno, he was able to keep the emotions off his face and out of his voice. "What about you?"

She thought for a moment, as the two continued their walk. "Numbuh 5 thinks she'd fit into a police uniform. No!" Her eyes suddenly lit with excitement. "An undercover FBI agent, taking down the worlds biggest criminals and saving kids everywhere."

"An FBI agent?" Nigel gawked, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"James Bond?" Abigail countered, an eyebrow raised.

There was a short pause between the two, before they both suddenly started laughing hysterically. And that's what they did, they just laughed at the other, laughed with the other, and just had some much needed fun. As he laughed, Nigel suddenly realized what he had missed the past five years, and he recalled how badly he had missed his most trusted teammate. After a minute of pure laughter, they settled down again, and just stared at each other, smiling.

Abigail sighed and looked down, coming to a stop while Nigel continued forward a few paces. Confused, he back stepped to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay, Numbuh 5?"

Without a word, she just threw her arms around him again, burying her face in his neck. Surprised, he held his hands out as she clung to him, his head telling him to push her off and get out of there. But his instincts urged him to wrap his arms around her, and protect her from whatever evil there was. His hands shook as he fought with himself, until he finally decided.

"Uhm. So." He coughed, and Abigail soon let him go, an eyebrow raised suspiciously. "I have to get home before nine… That's my curfew on school nights…" His eyes looked everywhere but hers while he scratched the back of his neck again. "Uh-huh-huh…shall we?" Gesturing down the sidewalk, he smiled weakly.

But she only shook her head and half-heartedly smiled. "This is my stop, sir." She nodded her head towards the house, painted a light blue with violet frames.

Nigel looked at it, and nodded slightly. "Right. Blue, purple, Fitzpatrick Drive. Got it." He tapped the side of his head before holding out his hand. "Until next time, Numbuh 5."

Another soft sigh, and she slowly took his hand, giving it a small shake. "Yeah…Later Numbuh 1…"

He watched her walk away, mentally kicking himself for receiving a chance to do something romantic, but just waved at it as it passed right by him. But he couldn't really feel that way for Abigail, could he? Yes, she was a great friend, and one he could talk to in the most crucial moments. Really, as he thought about it, he hadn't had any one close to him like a girlfriend since his last one dumped him after the tree house tried to blow him up. A sigh escaped his lips as he recalled that night, and his first love. The sleepless night, the tossing and turning and feeling like he had lost something important.

Furiously shaking his head, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, stalking back down the road. That was not something he wanted to think about, nor did he want to repeat. He frowned as he looked down at his feet, kicking a stone while he walked. "Sorry Abigail…" He muttered to himself. "I can't."

~…Great Kingdom Avenue…~

A good half hour away from Abigail and his unsettling feelings, Nigel walked down the street with the mission profile in hand, his phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder. After going through the files, he had decided to call into each household and gather all he could. Three of the parents had answered the few questions he had, but all with different answers, which meant the kidnapping had to be completely random.

"Yes, Mr. Kapy, I'm from the local police station, and we need you to answer a few questions that might help us find your son…" It was amazing how many people immediately believed someone with a British accent. "Where was your son when he supposedly disappeared?"

"He was out with his little friends. They spend all their time at that big tree house down the street…"

Nigel fought the urge to sigh in annoyance as he rubbed his eyes. "Uh-huh. And did any other of his friends disappear?"

"Uhm…not that I know of… Hey Nigel!"

The British teen jumped as his name was shouted from the phone, and he fumbled with the communicator before catching it in mid air. How did this man know his name? Nigel stopped, listening into the phone as Mr. Kapy spoke to someone else on the opposite end of the line. Apparently, the kidnapped operative had a family member named Nigel. He glanced at the open folder. A teenage brother by the name of Nigel.

"No, sir. Only our little boy disappeared from his group."

Taking a deep breath, Nigel slowly nodded. "Thank you Mr. Kapy. We'll find your son and have him back to you as soon as we can."

Once he hung up, Nigel placed the phone back in his pocket, giving up on talking to the families. No parents knew about the Kids Next Door anyway, so all he was really doing was making busy work for him. Rachel probably knew more than any adult did, anyway. With a groan, Nigel placed the folder into his backpack and began his walking again, only a few houses away from his own. The tree house had disappeared beyond the larger houses, but he still knew it was really only a ten-minute walk, or a four-minute run. Deciding against phoning the Supreme Commander, Nigel looked down at the sidewalk.

There was no form of repetition in any of the kidnappings, but there had to be some reason why the kidnapper only took certain kids from certain sectors. Some sectors remained absolutely untouched, while others were missing one to three kids. If it were a random taking, whole sectors would be missing. But what could the Kidnapper be favoring? Ages varied, hair color and eye color were different, and gender was also mixed. The only thing they had in common was being part of the Kids Next Door.

He knew he was missing a vital piece of the puzzle, much like he had been that very morning (but that had been a completely different puzzle, which was practically solved now). He also knew that the vital piece was what the kidnapper wanted.

Which brought the entire thing back to square one. What was the pattern? If they could some how crack that code, then they could determine the next strike and find the main compound. Nigel stopped just as he turned into his walk way. The main compound. That's what the team had to focus on; finding where all of the kids were being held and shut the place down.

Smiling, Nigel made his way up to the front door, all the lights off and the door locked, meaning his parents had gone to bed. Really, he didn't have a curfew, and his parents knew if he was out late, it had to be for something important. He moved to unlock the door, when he paused, thinking about where he really wanted to be. Quite honestly, he wanted to run back to Abigail and take the hug he desperately wanted, perhaps something more…

Again, he shook his head as thoughts of her ran through his head. She was the last of his priorities right now. Placing the key back in its original hiding spot, he turned away, hurrying back down the sidewalk. But he had some other priorities he could deal with.

~…Lincoln Residence…~

'_**Abbys Post…**_

_**First day of school after moving and my whole life is turned upside down. Or maybe it's been turned right side up. I've found great friends; my classes are a snap, and tomorrows Friday. Yeah for short and easy weeks, baby. But even with all of that, there's still the thing that keeps yo head out of the clouds. **_

_**Being rejected. It really sucks, that's all there really is to say about it. Found this great guy, part of the great friends, and he keeps givin' me these signals. But when I tried to come on to him, he totally backed away. It's more confusing than anything else. The even funnier thing is that I knew him when we were kids, and despite my aversion to dating boys at the time, I always sorta liked him… And he even told me he had had feelings for me as well. But, we both moved away, only to be reunited here. Guess those once upon a time feelings are still only once upon a time. **_

_**Anyway, it's been a long day, and I have important stuff to get done.**_

_**See ya.'**_

Abby sighed as she clicked 'Save to Folder; Abigails diary'. It was how she managed to keep her cool all day long, by venting her thoughts when she was in the comfort of her own room. Once the file had saved, she closed the personal laptop and placed it under the bed. The list of villains had already been sent to Hoagie, which left her a lot of free time to just think.

She hadn't expected to feel so strongly for her leader until he had taken off on that spaceship years ago, and she certainly hadn't expected those feelings to return with her memory. But even without her memory, she had felt drawn to him, and refused to take her eyes off of him that morning in American History. He was bald, for Christ sake, but he was handsome. Her eyes drifted shut as she just imagined his face, and how he had looked when he she had first walked into Numbuh 362s office. Then, how they had embraced, how strong his arms felt, and how the whole motion just felt absolutely perfect. Another sigh escaped her lungs as she sank further into her thoughts.

But maybe she hadn't actually been rejected. Nigel was still the massive workaholic he had always been, which meant that he was most likely wanting to focus on the mission rather her. And that was the better option, being it was she against a group of small kids scared out of their wits. He hadn't said no, and she knew he remembered the feelings he had once had, but he had simply chose what was more important at the time. Content with the reasons, she lay her head onto her own pillow, smiling as she imagined the next few days she had a head of her, everyone involving action and Nigel.

~… Sector V Tree House…~

"I am tellin' you, man. Numbuh 1 has got the hots for Numbuh 5, bad." Wally waved his arms as he and Hoagie strolled through the dark hallways of their old tree house, flashlights burning through the shadows. "I mean you should have seen the way he was defendin' her this mornin'."

Hoagie walked beside him, frowning as he stared straight ahead. "Great. That's just what I want to hear, Numbuh 4." The two shuffled into the main living room. "Who Numbuh 1 likes and dislikes is his business, and not mine."

"Glad to know someone respects my privacy." The British accent echoed through the room, and the large screened television clicked to life, illuminating Nigel Uno sitting on the couch with his back to them, the old wooden remote control n his palm. The other two screamed and jumped back from all of the sudden surprises, falling to the floor and knocking their flash lights out of hand. Nigel hadn't turned around to look at them, but remained in the couch, simply flipping through the channels. He didn't have to look at the boys to know they had confused looks on their faces. "I took the generator from my parents garage. The fridge is also hooked up and stocked. Compliments of yours truly."

Wally sprung to his feet, wiping off the dust and dirt from his jeans. "I thought Numbuh 362 told you to stay outta here."

Somehow, they knew Nigel had an eyebrow raised. "And you two have special permission or something?" He finally turned around, smirking as he looked at the two in the light of the television. "Or were you sneaking off for some love I should know about?" Now he laughed.

The Australian turned a deep shade of purple while Hoagie froze in his place, too stunned at Nigel's accusation. He couldn't seriously be calling them…? It didn't matter to Wally, though, as he fired himself at the bald brit, tackling him off the couch and onto the old faded rug. "Why you…I otta… That was… argh!"

Nigel dodged the boys' punch, grabbing hold of his wrist and rolling over so Numbuh 4 was on the bottom. But the smaller teen easily kicked his leader off, sending him over his head and onto the floor behind them. A second later, Wally was on Nigels back, swinging punches left and right, connecting a few of them before Nigel grabbed onto his collar and flung him off.

"Looks like old Nigel lost his fight…" Wally taunted in good nature, smiling playfully at him. Hoagie, however, kept himself out of the scuffle, simply enjoying the friendly competition.

Getting to his feet and shaking his head, Nigel looked up to find Wally bouncing on the balls of his feet, beckoning for him to attack. But Nigel simply relaxed his body, looking at Wally with raised eyebrows. The sudden lack in tension threw the bad boy off his game as he lowered his fists, pouting slightly. Then, before he could even say something, Nigel had him pinned against the wall, holding him an inch off the ground. "Never let your guard down."

A pair of feet connected with the brits stomach, and he fell back, releasing his hold on Wallabee. Another punch connected with his face, but the second was blocked with his forearm before an elbow was thrown into the Australians face. In the moment Wally stumbled back, Nigel climbed to his feet again, his entire body tensed as blood trickled from his mouth. Wally recovered, rubbing his chin before running at Nigel, his blue eyes alight with energy as his fist was poised and ready.

'Smack!' The Britain held onto the Australians fist, his gray-blue eyes narrowed behind his glasses as his trademark smirk returned. "Check Mate."

"This ain't bing-whoa!"

Hoagie watched as Wally was flung through the air, Nigel sliding forward on his knees after the toss. His gray-blue eyes were closed, until he heard the harsh landing of flesh against aged wood. Only then, did he slowly open his eyes and stand up. But he kept his back to Wally, waiting for him to charge, or at least attempt to charge at him. He heard a groan, and sensed two pairs of eyes fall on him, one a little annoyed, the other absolutely amazed. Despite being about four inches shorter than him, Wally still had a good amount of muscle on him, making him weigh more than the taller teenager. Not that Nigel didn't have muscle of his own, but Wally regularly worked his, while Nigel gained what he could from the pool at his house, or from all of playing around he did.

"Wait till I…" There was another clunk as Wally fell to the floor again, looking at his shoelaces, miraculously tied together. "M-m-my shoe laces!"

"Tied together…" Nigel slowly turned around, his eyes trained on the fallen operative. "Oldest trick in the book…" He said slowly, his mind venturing to another point in time, which gave him another question for Rachel.

Wally sat on the floor, just staring at his shoelaces for a long moment, before looking up at Nigel. "You gotta show me how to do that, man!"

Nigel smiled and nodded, returning to the present. He whistled and waved Hoagie over, helping his opponent to his feet. "Come on, Numbuh 2. I don't want to be the only one throwing this hammer head across the room."

_~Authors Note: Yay! Chapter nine! Aw. So, the pairings are gonna be…GAH! I don't know yet! It could be 1 and 5 or 1 and 362 and 2 and 5…the only pairing that's set is 3 and 4…duh… Anyway, leave some reviews on who should be with who, and then I'll decide who gets the British prize. Anyway, this was a sort of fun chapter, just here to kinda get ya ready for an intense next chapter. I dunno how long the next chapter will take to get up…I want to have the next one pretty long so…Don't know… Anyway, hope you liked it, leave a review on it, please. Ta!_


	10. A word from the Author Please Read

_**~Okay, Okay, Okay. I know I've been quiet for a REAL long time, and you guys have every right to hate me for my prolonged silence. But, if my dear readers could come back and just wait a few more days, I promise Operation Return will pick back up. Feel free to post your frustration in a review—I deserve a good kick in the butt for letting such a good story slip through my fingers. Unfortunately, I had a STELLAR next chapter that was lost with my old computer… So I have to reconstruct it, at an even better level. Perhaps I'll go through my work and fix everything up to make it even better. It's gonna take me a while to remember EXACTLY what direction I had wanted this story to take, but I vaguely have an idea… Wish me luck, sit tight and get ready to take off on this amazing adventure once more, this time for the long run.**_

_**Forever a servant to my readers,**_

_**Annabelle Rain-Denali~**_


	11. Just A Sliver

_**~Okay! Luckily, as I read through the old chapters, I was able to pick up on my own foreshadowing and subtle hints at who the culprit is. Can you guys guess? You're pretty smart, dedicated. And, no, it's not the Tolietnator, though that would prove for a most amusing ending. I can give you a hint to a hint. There's one in chapter two. Anyway, this chapter is going to be a bit short because I'm getting back into the swing of this KND business (I've recently turned 18, and my boyfriend keeps teasing me that I've been DECOMMISSIONED for good! D=) Read and Review, but more importantly… Enjoy!~**_

Silence hung in the air, thick as fog and threatening to suffocate the group of frightened children. Horded by the door, two pressed their ears firmly against the grimy metal, waiting for the characteristic clunk of patrolmen boots while holding the desperate children away with their raised forearms. 8-30 sharp raised her brilliant green gaze to her counterpart, and a silent nod was exchanged before she pushed back from the door, pulling the younger operatives back with her. Numbuh 4 double 1 held up three fingers, hand poised on the handle as two pairs of footsteps faded down the hall, lowering each finger with slow deliberate hesitations until all was silent once more. "_Go_," he hissed, yanking the door open and waving the others into the hall. Immediately, two parties formed, and 8-30 sharp looked to her co-leader with a determined expression; they were getting out of here. Her optimism sparked his own flare of hope as he slid the key from the inside knob and turned to the second party that he was to lead. Even though splitting up didn't sit right for everyone, it was the best chance they had at escaping and, Supreme Leader forbid, sending help back for the party that didn't make it out quick enough. "We all know the plan. Whatever happens…"

"Don't. Stop. Moving." Numbuh 132 echoed, looking over at the other two that made up the group that was to run towards the guards, then bank down the opposite hall. No one dared to say good bye, simply gave approving nods and hand waves of luck, and they were separated. 8-30 Sharp held tightly to her younger brothers' hand, more because he was the youngest of the group than the fact that he was her own flesh and blood. Her training had been rigorous in the rules of 'the team comes first', and she was determined to follow the rules to a tee now that she was in such a horrible position. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her Kids Next Door training was what kept her alive in this awful place.

And the one they asked for… yes, he was a legend among the KND, but he had been gone for years and the only trace that he ever even existed was the story sector leaders would share. Numbuh 8-30 sharp was just being commissioned when he disappeared, and had never really had the chance to train with him. But there was a time when he alone saved their elementary school from war fare and destruction, when he led them into battle, into victory. It was that battle that had inspired her to join the Kids Next Door in the first place.

"This Coffee is disgusting! Who wants _lemon and blueberry _flavoring in _everything_?"

With a gasp, she ducked into the nearest hall, letting go over her brothers hand to wave them into a full on sprint. Despite their ages, they were relatively silent on their feet, and 8-30 Sharp didn't move until the adults walked past the hall, too deep in their own conversation to notice the girl that watched them with frightened green eyes. Once gone, she let a relieved air from her lungs and bolted down the hall after her younger team mates. This way was void of light, which would make traveling harder, but safer, and the chance of finding a back door or a frail expanse of wall that could be broken through with little noise. Unlikely, but she could still remain hopeful. Easing herself into a jog and coming to a stop, she forced air in and out of her lungs as quietly as humanly possible before allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit hall. Her team had scattered, and she nearly broke the code of the KND by swearing an adult and Teenager _only_ word as she looked down one hall then the other, torn. Eeny-miny-moe decided it, and she banked left with the thought that the kids would want to get as far away from their cell as possible.

Unfortunately, she would only find one of her missing comrades, the youngest of the trapped children making for the maze room they loathed. It might have been suicide, but Numbuh 333 justified his musings by saying he had to find evidence against who ever held them here. With the identity of the unseen enemy, the KND could lock them away for far longer than the authorities, and perhaps the operatives that exposed such evil would become legend as well. Young and naïve and desperate to prove himself, Numbuh 308 followed the boy without argument. After all, he made sense and he was older, therefore superior. Memory played a heavy role in their meandering, and they were soon at the steps of the office that rose above the torturous maze. Crouching by the door, Numbuh 333 peered through the glass that showed an eerily black Maze room, the office above it glowing, but showing no signs of occupation.

"Okay, let's move!" His brown eyes darted around to make sure the hallways were still clear before shooting up the stairs in a noiseless scamper, the small blond boy hard on his heels. Hearts raced as they fell against the rail, ears ringing with the unnatural silence while the older of the two slowly reached for the handle and refused to even breathe. A hard twist and push, and they fell into an empty room with a soft 'thud', nervous laughter shaking their bodies as they slowly closed the door behind them and got to their feet. Numbuh 308 dusted his sleeve off to no avail, sweat and blood stains having made the fabric impossible to attempt to wipe clean. He had to admit that he took pride in the markings on his clothing, for it showed that he had been through more than every other KND operative of his age, showed he was strong and could take on the toughest of missions.

Turning around to face his companion, he found himself staring at a wall covered in pictures, maps and strings. While he didn't know what it meant exactly, he figured who ever trapped them in this place were searching for the boy as vigorously as they were kidnapping Kids Next Door Operatives. Which then begged the question; why hadn't they found him yet? Because this particular operative was a master mind, the best of the best, and untraceable even among the KND. As Numbuh 308 stared up at the bored, Numbuh 333 was trifling through the drawers and trashcan, looking for anything that would hint at their kidnapper. But whatever he found didn't point to any known Adult or teenager. He was so deep in thought that he nearly missed the quiet voice of the six year old, "Why do you think they're after Numbuh 1?"

"I… Don't know. If it's a teenager holding us here, they want to recruit him. If it's an adult, they probably want him so they can dissect his brain and get all of the KND information out it… more reason to keep where he is a secret."

The young boy turned to his partner and blinked in confusion. "But we're not keeping any secrets about where he is. Everyone tells us he disappeared after one of the Delightful Cake missions. Disappeared as in 'poof' and never to be found again!"

"People don't just disappear, Numbuh 308. And if we don't get out of here, Moon Base will have to find him to save us or risk the parents learning about the Kids Next Door when more are kidnapped. And if the parents know what their 'precious darlings' are up to, they'll be forced to stay away!"

Numbuh 308 wanted to think the older boy was only being paranoid, but the severity in his tone suggested differently. It sounded like the worst case scenario, and the blond haired boy lifted his chin proudly. "We will get out of here, and the Kids Next Door will never end!"

"I wouldn't be so sure, kiddies."

Whirling around, the escaped prisoners found two large and snarling adults blocking the door way, humongous hands reaching out to snatch the two of them away again. With a yelp, 308 ducked and rolled away as 333 jumped onto the desk and fired himself at the adults. His feet landed on both of their heads, knocking them back and tumbling down the stair hooting and hollering while his hands gripped the door frame to keep him from tumbling after them. Triumphant brown eyes sparkled as the nefarious adults landed in a pile at the bottom of the stairs, his grip slackening so he could land quietly on the floor. "Numbuh 308!" At once, his voice took on a harder edge as he whirled towards the six year old. "Make a run for it! Down the steps, down the long hall and this way, the door will be right there!"

Memorizing the brunettes' hand movements, Numbuh 308 bolted for the door without any question. Don't stop moving. Make it out and send help back. Those were his orders, and he would stick to him like gum in his teenage uncle's hair! Sprinting down the steps, he cleared the heap of adults in a single bound, rolling hard on his shoulder as he reached the other side and darted down the hallway 333 had told him to go. It didn't occur to him to think how his fellow operative knew the way out, or why he hadn't told the others back in the cell block, but he knew that he had to go on this one lead for the time being. A tiny hand grabbed onto the corner and he slid around the corner, a pair of great red doors just waiting down the hall and not an adult in sight.

Several yards behind him, the first party and the remnants of the second party were rounding a corner further back than the one the youngest operative had hurried from. In the lead, 8-30 Sharp nearly cried out to her younger brother, reaching towards him as she broke into a head long sprint.

Her choice to not vocalize her presence proved in vain as several adults hurried into their path, overcoming the weaponless and exhausted kids with relative ease. But the eldest of the parties threw themselves at the men, hands poised like claws as they let their anger and fear come to a head.

Numbuh 8-30 Sharp brought her fists down on a man's shoulder as hard as she could, her elbow moving around to connect with his nose before she dropped to the floor. Beside her, Numbuh 4 double one kicked one man, using the force to propel himself to a second and punch his face as hard as he could. As the two turned to fight another adult, they were forced down by twice as many men, bound, gagged, and thrown against the wall opposite the younger operatives that had coward immediately. No one could blame them. Half starved, beaten and bruised, they must have thought that staying obedient would save them the unnecessary pain.

In a last attempt at hope, she swept her gaze across the operatives, counting silently in her head. Two for her and 4 Double 1, three from sector D, one from Sector M… Numbuh 333 and 308 were still missing. Stifling a pained groan, she craned her neck to get a good look at the door as two adults grabbed her shoulders and yanked her harshly from the ground.

There, much like the sliver of hope that snaked through her veins, the door hung ajar.

_**~Okay, short chapter, I know. But I'm just getting back into things. Read, Review. Tell me what you think. The writing style is probably way different, since I'm writing this nearly two years AFTER the original… Hope you enjoyed it, and the next Chapter should be up in, once again, a few days.~**_


	12. Smashing Epiphany

Sector V Tree House-

A beam of sunlight pulled him from his restful sleep, lanky limbs coiling towards his body to lift him out of bed. Minutes passed before he was standing on his feet, fully clothed and staring bleary eyed at the bed he had just risen himself from. It was a miracle he managed to sleep so soundly on a bed that was about five inches shorter than him, and probably covered in years of backed up dust. But it had been the kind of sleep he hadn't had in a long time, the sort that let a person know that they were safe at home and nothing would harm them. Kneeling down to scoop his glasses from the night stand, he surveyed his old room, eye brows shooting up at the sight of his entire team asleep on air mattresses and sleeping bags.

Numbuh 3 and 4 were huddled close together in the corner, nestled into a bed made of pillows, sleeping bags and jackets, while he noted Numbuh 2 and 5 slept on two air mattresses pushed together, a sign of their late night catching up chat. How everyone came to end up in the tree house was beyond him, but Nigel couldn't help a proud smile as he observed his old team together under the roof of the tree house they called home all those years ago. Perhaps he should let them sleep, but the thought was followed by a small laugh as he started towards the door, eyes skimming the wall for a tell-tale red button or lever. Sure, he could wake them up like any normal person would, but he was Nigel Uno, and he had to make sure his old team could respond as quickly as they once could.

Finding it, he covered his mouth with one hand to stifle a yawn, and leaned onto the lever as if it were just another night stand or counter. Good thing he hooked up his second generator to the security system.

'WARNING! ALERT! WARNING! ALERT!'

Nigel flinched slightly, the code red alarm was louder than he remembered, but the flashing red light was dodgy at best, flickering for one minute, and completely refusing to work for another. He had to remember to have Numbuh 2 look at that.

Abigail sprang from her sleeping area as quick as a ten year old after devouring a bag of candy, a SPLANKER in her hand after incidentally hiding it beneath her pillow. Wally was equally ready, whether because he still had his Numbuh 4 techniques or because he had learned to run when Sirens sounded, Nigel wouldn't know, but he was on his feet in seconds, crouching in front of a disgruntled Kuki with his fists raised protectively. And then Hoagie rolled himself out of bed, a bright green eye glaring daggers at Numbuh 1 as a hand fumbled for his glasses. Of course his best friend would know it was him before anyone else.

"Rise and Shine, Team. Sun's up, so it's gotta be around 7-30. School starts in an hour, which gives us- Yeah-ack!" The sixteen year old Brit had enough time to turn his body to avoid a sneaker being thrown at him after he switched the alarm off. When he spun around to find the culprit, Abby hadn't even bothered to hide the fact that she had just chucked something across the room. "Numbuh 5!"

"Man, you still work too much. We tried to find a match last night, but none of our whack job adults fit the description of mass kidnapping." Nigel vaguely recalled the frustration of disproving every former KND nemesis. As much as he hated to admit it now, none of them were that evil. Taking note of his bubbling annoyance, Abigail climbed over the mattress, ignoring the protest Hoagie shouted when she stepped on his chest, and came to a stop in front of her former leader. "Cheer up, Numbuh 1. We'll get 'em and save the kids."

"Yeah." Hoagie coughed as he pulled the air back into his lungs. "We always do. Against all odds and mathematical probability… but we do."

"I think we should go around to all of our old pals and beat the truth out of 'em!" Wally punctuated his sentence by pounding a fist against his palm, a wild look in his eyes as he remembered all the missions beating the snot out of adults and Anti- KND doofuses.

Kuki yawned and stretched her tired limbs, knocking her boyfriend in the back of the head either accidently or on purpose, Nigel couldn't tell. "Helllloooo! Numbuh 1 said it was someone the Kids Next Door has never seen before."

"Precisely! Which is why we have to keep working until we find a connection!"

"Alright! So we'll have a marathon of Psych, CSI and Criminal Minds this weekend to get our crime cracking juices flowing." Hoagie threw in, slipping his shoes on after he located his glasses. It was lucky he didn't notice the scowl forming on Nigel's face, because it was becoming deadly…

"Ooooooh! Criminal Minds is scary." Kuki chirped.

"There's too much thinking in those CMI and Serial Criminal Thought shows. I like the Psych Idea. Those two are funny!" Wally relinquished his fists and joined the conversation.

The scowl had turned into a vicious snarl as Nigel looked at his former team. Were they joking when they were trying to save children's lives here? He was about to explode when Abigail interjected, throwing in her two cents about the weekend T.V Marathon. "CSI is too high tech, and Numbuh 5 knows that show has got some messed up ways of dying."

"Oh, I know!"

"Seriously!"

"But I like the High Tech Stu-"

"CAN YOU FOUR GET SERIOUS FOR TWO SECONDS?"

Silence erupted across the tree house immediately, the morning birds even coming to a halt as Nigel raised his voice in his chagrin. His face had gone red as his hands balled into fists at his side, eyes glaring at each individual for an excruciating second; everyone, even Abby and Wally, shrunk away from his harsh blue gaze. They knew Nigel could have bouts of uncontrolled anger, he was related to Father after all, but they never expected him to nearly spit fire like his deranged uncle. The bald Brit was nowhere near calm as he forced air in and out of his lungs to keep his blood flowing at such a high pace. How could these people be joking when the very existence of their renowned organization was hanging in the balance? When it was up to them to make sure those eight kids returned home safely?

"We have a job to do, and we don't have time to mess around anymore this time, guys. The fate of the KND rests in our hands, and if we screw up, even a little, the entire adult population will know about us, not just the psychopaths we used to deal with. And if the population learns about our missions, our technology, our super triple blurple berry secrets that will force the entire Kid universe to work for the army, become slaves of their own devices! Could you live with yourself if-"

'FWUMP'

Nigel dropped to the floor in an unconscious pile of flesh, bones and defined muscle, a groan bubbling from his lips. Behind him, Abby lowered the SPLANKER and sighed, looking to find three stunned teenagers.

"That's assault. You could get jail time for that." Hoagie stated flatly, his eyes traveling down to look at his longtime friend. By the nonchalant wave of her hand and the scoff Abigail let slip, it was easy to tell she couldn't care less about what the Adult law code had to say.

"So sue me. Numbuh 5 did y'all a favor." Relinquishing her weapon, she grabbed the teenager by the arms and dragged him across the room, back towards his bed. "Go do whatever it is y'all do before school. Numbuh 5 will wait with Numbuh 1 to make sure he wakes up in time for school. Remember, we have a lunch meeting."

"I'm home schooled…" Kuki squeaked, pulling her black flats out from under the pile of pillows and blankets she had slept on. "But you can call me! We sooo need to exchange numbers anyway!"

And just like that, the unconscious KND leader of Sector V was propped against his bed while the others attended to things teenagers should attend to… but the fresh memory of what Nigel had said and the gnawing guilt they felt for not doing anything about immediately began to set in little by little.

~*~ -/-

Gallegar High School

Sitting forward, Nigel tried to focus on the history lesson, his hands writing down what he was able to comprehend while his mind swam with situation after situation. He had woken up with little pain, but his head throbbed for a good few minutes. Abigail had been there to tell him that it was her that had knocked him out and that she wasn't entirely sorry for it. On the way to school, he was over it, mind back to the matter at hand. Perhaps he could bait the _- Hitler came to power_- but I still need to find the Conn- _Implemented several laws against Judaism-_ there must be more to the kids than he was- _and in the end killed over 11 million people-_ yes, yes he had to find the connection before the kids were killed... Brilliant blue eyes shot up and stared at the carnage now on the projector, his heart pounding faster than ever before. _Killed_... If Nigel didn't crack this case soon, there was a strong possibility the kidnapped children will never see the light of day again, buried six feet underground and all. Their lives depended on his tactics and how fast his team could respond. In the seat next to him, Abigail glanced sideways at him, noting how tense he suddenly became and the sudden halt in his writing. But Nigel couldn't force his hand to move, he couldn't force himself to look away from the pictures of starved, mangled, innocent men, women and... _Children_. Could five people have prevented the Holocaust? How many of the deceased were former KND operatives? He recalled enough of the history of KND to know that 1930's-1940's had been a dark and dormant age for the adult fighting Taskforce.

The KND usually shut down when the world was at war, more for protection than for international security reasons. Kids had a better understanding of world peace than power hungry adults, and quickly forgave one another for their parents' mistakes.

But this wasn't a war as blunt as Germany against the whole rest of Europe... This was Sector V against an enemy that has never once showed his or her face. Or have they? Nigel figured that this person had to be someone the KND was at least aware of, even if subconsciously. Slowly, he forced his muscles to move again, his hand sweeping across his paper as he listed the names of the children. He had memorized them in the last few hours, but no matter how he looked at them; the answer was not in their names, Numbers or descriptions.

He had a clue within his grasp; he could sense it there, just out of reach of his clawing mind. What had he learned that caught him off guard in the last twenty four hours -regarding the Mission, that is-? It was there, on the tip of his tongue, just waiting to be spoken and realized...!

"Nigel!"

_Yes! Nigel!- wait, what?_ Nigel looked up to find Ms. Snow leaning over his desk, a folded yellow slip in her hand from the front office. But his mind was buzzing with a new found excitement. Nigel, his name had something to do with the case- Of course! He took the slip from his teacher with a thankful nod, opening it absently as his mind delved deeper into his theory.

His delving was cut short as the note he received hooked him and brought him back to reality. In the corner of the slip was the number 1 and in the opposite was 362; it read-

_Top Priority for Teen and adult Sectors of the KND. Mr. Boss has established a questionable cooperation that outputs a form of alcohol. While not exactly illegal, his drinks have been scientifically proven to cause Parents and other Adult Drinkers to take on a sorely attitude, which is in turn directed at the kids. The KND is unable to respond to this matter for Age issues, therefore it is up to our senior teams._

_How did this get through Ms. Snow_? Granted it was folded when she handed it to him, but don't teachers have to look at it to know who it is for? He flipped it over to see is his name was anywhere on the note. With furrowed eyebrows, he looked to Numbuh 5, who held up eight fingers, then six and pointed to him. Oh, so 86 had delivered it and pointed him out. That made much more sense. But how did he completely miss her coming into the room?

Figuring it was during his panic attack, he moved to gather his things, only to be stopped by Abby's intense brown gaze that silently told him to hand over the message before she punched him right there in the middle of class. He picked up one of her books from the floor and politely handed it to her, slipping the note into her hand before getting to his feet and slipping almost soundlessly through the door.

There, he leaned against the lockers just outside of the door, sending a text message to Hoagie and Wally, telling them to rendezvous at his hideout, _'The Abandoned Tool Shed by the Softball Field_s' is what he sent to Wally, but he was positive the Australian would still get lost. Two minutes passed before Numbuh 5 pushed through the door, her bag slung lazily over her shoulder and her characteristic red hat being pulled from her back pocket. She stopped when she noticed the teenage boy leaning against the locker right beside her, his deep blue eyes guarded but awed as they stared at one another. Even without his sunglasses, red long neck and khaki shorts, there was something very Numbuh 1-esque about the way Nigel held himself, the way he looked at Abby as not only a leader and a friend, but as a protector as well.

The best of the best and he damn well knew it. That was the aura he had around him as he looked to his second in command, which meant that he had made some sort of break in the case! As much as she wanted to ask, Abby decided against it and gave him a small finite nod. She was ready for this mission, as was the rest of sector V.

"Right. Numbuh 5, send a message to Numbuh 3 that we'll grab her on our way to the tree house. I'll contact Moon Base and tell 362 that sector V is on route."

"You got it, Numbuh 1."

~*~-/-

Hoagie P. Gilligan sat in the back of the room, his mind venturing everywhere but the Romantic Art Historical period when his pocket buzzed faintly. Stifling a surprised yelp, he hurried to stop the vibrating before his batty old teacher caught on to it. Luckily a few kids around him coughed to cover up the noise, most likely fearing it was their own phone making the sound. Hands hidden beneath the desk, he flipped the phone open to find a message from Nigel U.

_'Secret Hideout now. Mission Alert from MB_.'

A real mission? He didn't think twice before his hand shot up in the air, his free hand already grabbing onto his brown Aviator jacket. "Mrs. Kapara! I feel a bit sick. Can I see the nurse?"

"Yes, you look a bit pale and lethargic today, Mr. Gilligan. Off you go."

'A bloody Brit Bastard kept me up all night.' He thought sourly before shoving all of his belongings into his bag without bothering to organize it. He was out of the door in under a minute, phone out as he shot back a quick 'Numbuh 2 En Route!'

~*~-/-

"Yo Wally! Got a lighter to spare?" The scruff boy huffed, pushing off of his expanse of wall to cross to the seated blond boy. He lifted his gaze for a moment before tossing a silver device across the space between them, taking a drag of his own cigarette when his bright orange jacket erupted with a guitar solo from a WWE wrestler's entrance theme. With raised eyebrow, he dug out his phone, wondering who the crud could be texting him because that was NOT Kuki's ringtone. "Man! Undertaker is SO much better!"

"Shut it, stink bomb." An unknown number showed up, but the message was signed by his bald friend, and an excited smile played across his face as he jumped from the hood of the car. "Well, Gotta go! And learn how to use Mint Gum and Deodorant, Fiz!"

He flicked his own cigarette into a rain puddle by the road before popping two pieces of gum into his mouth and crossing the street to return to school... Now where in crickety crud is the Softball field?

~*~-/-

Fortunately, it didn't take Wally as long as Nigel had expected him to, and he snatched out a lithe pale hand to tighten around the hood of the smaller teen's jacket, pulling him into the abandoned shack before anyone noticed him. Let's face it; bright orange jacket wasn't the best way to stay discreet. Dropping him on the couch beside Hoagie, Nigel cracked his knuckles and looked over his gathered team.

"Numbuh 2, can we get the COOLBUS up to specs in under a half hour?"

"Gimme a chilly dog and some duck-tape, she'll be running smoother than any _cool_ cats car." With a grin, he pulled himself to his feet, starting for the door.

"Numbuh 5, go with Numbuh 2 to the tree house and I want you to get our entire 2x4 tech collection together and get rid of whatever doesn't work properly. Numbuh 4, get Numbuh 3 and help Numbuh 5 prep all weapons."

"Right!" Numbuh 4 slipped past Numbuh 2, making for the parking lot, his school skipping talent coming in handy.

Silence fell for a moment before Abigail turned her deep brown gaze on her leader. "What about you, Numbuh 1?"

"I gotta contact Rachel. Come back and get me as soon as the COOLBUS is up and running." He watched the other two disappear, leaving him alone to think over his half epiphany. It seemed like a stretch, but what did he have to lose? There was no other lead he could think of. Pulling his bag away from the door, he yanked the files out with excited vigor, remote in hand as he waited for the supreme leader to respond to his earlier text.

Numbuh 8-30 Sharp and Numbuh 308… _Yes_!

Numbuh 4 double 1… _Check_!

Numbuh 132, Numbuh 37,000, Numbuh 16 Candles_… Yes, yes, and yes_!

"Numbuh 1! What are you doing waiting around? I gave you a job!"

Whirling around, Nigel stared, wild eyed, at his leader as she poker her head in through the door way. He waved the files at her, smiling wildly as he found the connection between the kidnapped operatives, his free hand grabbing hers and pulling her closer. With a gasp, she started up at him, into his eyes as she tried to figure out just what he was thinking, why was he holding her so close to him? It was unnerving and enthralling all at once.

"Soldier… you're scaring me…"

"Rachel." His voice was just above a whisper, as if saying his one hunch out loud would ruin the only lead they have. "Every single operative has at least one relative with the same name."

"…What?"

"Nigel. Whoever is taking these operatives is looking for _me_."


End file.
